Buses to be fitted with protective shields by end of August

After being considered for more than a decade, OC Transpowill finally install barriers on much of its fleet of busesto help protect drivers from abuse and violent behaviour by passengers and, most recently, the pandemic.

The city announced last Octoberthat it's set to install barriers on its buses to protect driversafter a 2018 study and 2019 pilot project that had them installed in 12 buses.

"It's been a long time coming. We've been pushing for these barriers for bus operators for quite some time. [We're] very happy that they're coming," said Clint Crabtree,president of Amalgamated Transit Union local 279.

The shields were considered after a number of assaults against drivers where they were sucker-punched, spat on, and burned by hot drinks.

"Through the pilot project, we got feedback from the members that they felt more secure being behind one of these plastic barriers or shields," he said. "Nobody deserves to be assaulted."

Minimal COVID-19 protection, says union

While the barriers are meant to provide protection against assaults, OC Transpogeneral manager John Manconi said they can also provide protection from viruses, such as COVID-19.

"[It] will provide extra healthand safety protection for both operators and customers," he wrote in a memo to council Monday.

Crabtree acknowledged the barriers could provide some protection against COVID-19, but it's likelyminimal.

"I don't necessarily believe that the shield or barrier will protect someone from the virus because the virus is airborne, but it's an added safety measure for the bus operators."

Last year,OC Transpoinstalled a sheet of clear plastic,similar to a shower curtain, on buses to provide a barrier between drivers and passengers for that reason.

But bus drivers and the local union have been calling for increased protections, especially after a surge in COVID-19 cases among drivers since the beginning of April. At least 15 have tested positive for COVID-19 in April alone.

• Union calls for better protections after surge in COVID-19 cases among drivers

Crabtree believes the best protection against the virus is for operators to be vaccinated.

"That would be the ultimate protection for the members of my local and transit employees to receive immediately."

756 buses to get shields

The Plexiglas shields will be installed on 756 of the fleet's 851 buses by the end of August, according to a memo sent Mondayto city councillors.

The remaining buses either already have a permanent shield as part of the pilot project or are at the end of their life and will be phased out within the next year.

"Moving forward, any new buses entering the fleet will have the barriers installed," wrote Manconi.

Last October, the estimated cost to outfit 746 buses was $6 million. The City of Ottawa has not said whether that estimate still stands.