Several of weapons-related incidents in recent weeks on Winnipeg Transit buses have drivers scared, according to their union president.
Winnipeg police responded to a call about a man with an axe on a bus Friday night. Around 9 p.m., a man got on a bus near Regent Avenue and Bond Street and two passengers noticed he had an axe and brass knuckles, Winnipeg Police Service said.
They were able to disarm the man without incident and police were called. The driver and passengers escorted the suspect off the bus at Watt Street and Nairn Avenue.
The man was standing on the sidewalk when officers arrived to arrest him. The 22-year-old faces two counts of possessing weapons and failing to comply with a recognizance.
Police did not name the suspect.
Const. Rob Carver, a police spokesman, said Friday's incident never became violent. He said the man never brandished the axe, and while it appears he was wearing the brass knuckles, the passengers were still able to get them from him without a fight or a struggle.
READ MORE: Transit union wants city to act faster on improving driver security
That incident came several hours after another incident Friday afternoon. John Callahan, the president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, told CTV News a passenger threatened a driver that he had two steak knives in his pocket.
Last Saturday, another passenger threatened to stab a bus driver, Callahan said.
These incidents come after another bus driver, Irvine Jubal Fraser, died from multiple stab wounds after telling a passenger who had fallen asleep to get off the bus at the end of his route.
READ MORE: City councillors call for transit safety meeting in wake of slain driver
Brian Kyle Thomas, 22, of Winnipeg is facing charges including second-degree murder, possession of a weapon and failing to comply with a probation order.
Callahan said there isn't time to wait months for the results of a safety review ordered after Fraser was killed on Feb. 14. The report isn't due for another three months.
“Obviously it’s very concerning, the number of threats that have been made and number of incidents on buses since Jubal’s murder,” said Callahan. "These types of incidents have been ongoing, but obviously now people are paying a lot more attention, including our operators."
"I say there's things that we can do in the interim that can be addressed a lot more quickly."
Dave Wardrop, Winnipeg's chief transportation officer, said earlier this week the department doesn't have the staff to make a significant change at this point.
Wardrop said bureaucrats will try to have the report done as quickly as possible. Options such as shields for drivers are not being ruled out but would require more study, he said, while another idea is to move more supervisors onto evening shifts to help with disputes.
Callahan noted the city has added mobile inspectors at night but needs to add more of them. He has also said that dedicated transit police could mediate disputes.
He said drivers are sympathetic to riders who cannot afford to pay, but says some repeat offenders are abusing the system.
"We're getting people who are not paying fares, drinking on the bus. It's a party on wheels," he said. "Right now, you can't keep up with it. There's no consequence."
With files from Sarah Plowman and The Canadian Press
