Bus rider stabs Winnipeg Transit operator, prompting police investigation

Officers are investigating an incident in which a Winnipeg Transit operator was stabbed after asking a passenger to pay for bus fare.

Shortly before 1:20 a.m. on Wednesday, Winnipeg police officers responded to a call regarding an assault near Isabel Street and William Avenue.

“Officers learned that the rider became disruptive after being asked to pay the fare,” said a news release from the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS).

The suspect then stabbed the driver in the lower body and got off the bus, it adds.

No arrests have been made.

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Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1505 represents transit employees, including Winnipeg Transit operators. The bus was following Route F6, it said in a news release shared Wednesday night.

The union said the transit employee was stabbed “twice in the leg with a syringe,” after the passenger reached around the driver’s safety shield.

“The operator reported that the assailant attempted to stab them multiple times before exiting the bus,” according to ATU Local 1505’s release.

Winnipeg police described the operator’s injuries as “minor.” The union said they were taken to Seven Oaks Hospital in stable condition.

James Van Gerwen, the union’s president, said “no one should have to wonder if they are going to make it home safely after a shift,” in ATU’s release.

“Being stabbed by a suspected syringe is every operator’s nightmare,” he added.

“Every day they (transit operators) show up to provide an essential public service despite the risks they face. They deserve more than sympathy after another attack, they deserve protection before the next one occurs.”

The union is calling for the installation of full enclosure operator shields to replace the partial barriers currently on its buses.

“Every assault is another reminder that words and promises are no longer enough. We need action, and we need it now,” its president said in the news release.

WPS said its major crimes unit is investigating.