Financial cost, threat of violence – Winnipeg Free Press

An altercation between a Winnipeg Transit driver and a passenger who refused to pay a fare has scared other riders this week and union leaders say the service brings in millions a year.

“I wasn't worried about my personal safety, but I was wondering if it was going to escalate, what could happen?” I thought. said one passenger, a man in his 60s who did not want to use his name.

“You're in an enclosed space with nowhere to go.”

A passenger said a bus pulled up near Head Peguis High School on Rothesay Street on Wednesday morning and a teenager or man in his 20s got on the bus.

“He was very active early on,” she said, describing how the payment dispute arose. The man insulted the driver and used abusive words.

“The driver asked him to leave. He wouldn't. Instead he stormed to the back of the bus and sat in the seat next to me – still shouting and swearing there was no money.”

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505 released figures Thursday showing 4.4 million cases of fare evasion and underpayment last year.

In addition, fare evasion cost Winnipeg Transit up to $6.7 million between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, 2022, the union said.

The union obtained the data through a freedom of information request sent to Winnipeg Transit, which collects raw data from toll machines. Exact monetary figures for the loss of earnings for 2023 are not yet available, a union representative said.

Union president Chris Scott said in a statement: “Toll evasion not only results in financial costs, negatively affects the level of service provided, but also increases the risk of violent encounters.”

“Our members have experienced incidents where fare disputes quickly escalated into aggressive behavior, endangering the safety and well-being of both transit operators and passengers.”

The union estimates that about 60 percent of driver safety incidents reported so far this year involved passengers who refused to pay their fares; Last year, this figure was 75 percent.

“It is important to note that these statistics only relate to incidents involving operators and that there are additional incidents involving violence against passengers.”

Around 15 passengers were on board at the time of the Rothesay incident. Instead of continuing on its route, the bus stayed at the bus stop for up to 10 minutes while the operator spoke on the phone – possibly to call for more security, the unnamed passenger said.

At least one person, a young woman, got off the bus. When another man said he felt trapped inside, he said.

The passenger tried to defuse the situation by offering to pay the man's fare, but the driver refused to accept it.

“(The transit driver) said they needed to make a phone call because this person was being aggressive and disorderly,” she said.

The passenger said he did not criticize the driver, who he said had a very difficult job.

“I'm sure it happens several times a day, more than once a day,” he said. “We all have to pay, this (unruly passenger) cannot be given a free ride or an excuse for his behaviour. The driver is in a difficult situation.”

Finally, the man left the bus. Before the passenger left, he stayed on the road for about three minutes, delaying the trip.

Although operators are trained to monitor fares and inform passengers of the correct fare, they are advised not to refuse to transport a person if they cannot pay.

In addition, they may ask the person to pay double the next time they ride, a City of Winnipeg spokeswoman said in an emailed statement.

A spokeswoman said data on 2023 revenue loss related to fare evasion was not available Thursday.

“Unfortunately, we are having difficulty accurately tracking underpayments and are unable to provide the requested data.”

Scott said the union has high hopes for the newly deployed transit safety team, whose work is expected to include fare enforcement.

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Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press' city desk. Since joining the paper in 2022, he's been on a blizzard, documenting protests and checking under bridges for potential incidents.

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