At the end of a long workday or a night out, many of us rely on public transit to get home safely. Behind the wheel of that late-night bus or train is a transit operator — a frontline worker providing an essential public service. What we too often forget is that these workers are doing so at serious personal risk. They are increasingly vulnerable to violence, abuse, and trauma. A horrifying incident in Calgary this week is just the latest reminder of that unacceptable reality.
The Calgary Assault: A Stark Wake-Up Call
In the early morning hours of May 14, 2025, a 30-year member of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 583 was assaulted in the line of duty. After refusing to deviate from his assigned route, the operator was lured off the bus at Falconridge Boulevard and Castleridge Boulevard NE. He was then brutally attacked — beaten with a pipe and stabbed — sustaining life-threatening injuries. Two suspects have since been arrested, and charges are pending.
This act of violence was not just senseless — it was sadly predictable. According to ATU Local 583 President Mike Mahar, Calgary transit sees 60–70 “Code Blue” incidents each year, requiring police or emergency assistance. Even more troubling, many incidents go unreported due to a lack of faith that perpetrators will be caught or held accountable.
A National Crisis in Transit Safety
This isn’t just Calgary’s problem. Across Canada, transit operators are being assaulted at an alarming rate. In 2022, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) reported 1,068 violent incidents against riders and workers — a staggering 46% increase from the year before. Nationally, ATU Canada estimates nearly 3,000 assaults occur annually against transit workers and passengers. The real number may be even higher.
These assaults range from physical attacks to verbal abuse, threats, spitting, and racist slurs — all of which leave lasting physical and psychological scars. The fact that these workers continue to show up every day speaks volumes about their dedication — and about the urgent need to do more to protect them.
Unions Are Fighting for Change
Thankfully, organizations like the Amalgamated Transit Union are fighting hard to make public transit safer — not just for passengers, but for the workers who keep it running. The ATU has been a tireless advocate for stronger protections, pushing for new legislation, better security measures, mental health support for workers, and more accountability for those who commit assaults.
In fact, the ATU has long campaigned for the recognition of assaults on transit workers as a distinct criminal offense, and Parliament responded. Section 269.01 of the Criminal Code now includes assaults on transit operators as an aggravating factor in sentencing — a fact noted in cases like R. v. Kakaway:
“Transit operators… play a vital role in our societal infrastructure but do so in circumstances where they are uniquely vulnerable… This aggravating circumstance attains a much higher status in the sentencing equation because Parliament has chosen to isolate this particular type of offending.” (R. v. Kakaway, 2017)
Labour arbitrators have echoed this concern. In Edmonton (City) v. ATU Local No. 569, Arbitrator Casey emphasized the need to assess incidents involving transit operators within the full context of their uniquely vulnerable working conditions.
Action Is Needed — and Possible
After the Calgary assault, Mayor Jyoti Gondek publicly recognized the trauma this operator and his family now face, and acknowledged the pressing need to do more. In her words:
“We need to put measures in place that protect our operators and take care of those who are just doing their best to serve Calgarians.”
That means meaningful investment in public transit and the people who operate it. It means putting resources where they’re actually needed — such as on buses, where violent incidents are more common — not just on rail systems.
