Union representing bus drivers calls for increased safety in wake of violent attack in downtown Kelowna

A Kelowna bus driver is recovering after a violent attack early Tuesday morning.

“I’m still shocked,” said Scott Lovell, a representative of the driver’s union, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1722. “It’s very fresh.”

The victim is a 70-year-old man with decades of experience. He was sent to hospital with some significant injuries.

“He has a broken nose, damaged hip, possibly some ribs,” Lovell told Global News.

The incident unfolded at the Queensway Bus Exchange in downtown Kelowna at around 6:30 a.m.

According to the union, a man, believed to be experiencing homelessness, boarded a bus.

However, when the female bus driver told him not to use the bus as a place to sleep, he became agitated.

Concerned, the victim, who was nearby intervened to help and that’s when he was attacked.

“We are not protected very well,” Lovell said. “We are undermanned, understaffed. With everything going on in our city, from mental health issues to the amount of homeless, the bus is a good, warm place for these people to sleep.”

The attack occurred on the same day a union executive, overseeing all of Western Canada, was in town.

John Callahan said more needs to be done to increase safety for drivers.

“Right across the country, bus operators face assaults on a daily basis, and it’s almost become the norm, but it shouldn’t be. It should never be the norm,” said Callahan, vice-president for the Amalgamated Transit Union International.

“We have to look at training for bus operators, and that being de-escalation training. And unfortunately, bus operators are not social workers, but we can give them some type of training to get a better understanding of folks they’re having to deal with on a daily basis.”

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In an email to Global News, BC Transit stated, “Our thoughts are with the victim of this assault, and the organization is supporting the Kelowna RCMP.”

The transit agency added that its top priority is safety and that it has a number of safety measures in place to keep both passengers and drivers safe.

Those measures include closed-circuit television cameras on buses, operator emergency notification protocols and partnerships with first responders such as police, fire and ambulance.

Police said they did arrest a suspect but he has since been released.

“He’s a perfect example of what a bus driver should be for the city of Kelowna, he’s what we deserve and he doesn’t deserve that,” Lovell said.

RCMP said the investigation is ongoing.