2 arrested after Calgary bus driver assaulted, police say

Calgary police say they have arrested two men after a city bus driver was attacked in the northeast early Wednesday morning. 

The driver was assaulted while operating a bus in the area of Falconridge Boulevard and Castleridge Boulevard at 1:12 a.m., according to police.

Investigators believe the two men attacked the bus operator when he refused their request to deviate from the designated bus route.

The bus driver suffered significant injuries and was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition. 

Police say his condition has since been reassessed as stable.

According to police, one bus passenger tried to intervene during the incident and did not sustain serious injuries.

"We fully recognize that this is a highly concerning incident for Calgarians, and we are working with our partners at Calgary Transit to ensure all investigative leads are thoroughly examined and that the right supports are available for those directly impacted," said Acting Supt. Gerry Francois in a news release.

Charges are pending against the two suspects.

In a media availability Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Jyoti Gondek said transit workers "are really good people" and that the incident is jarring and unacceptable.

"I cannot imagine what this poor individual is going through right now. The trauma he will carry with him, the trauma that his family will carry. I cannot believe that somebody thought this was OK to do," she said. " And so we need to understand what happened and how we can make it better into the future."

Mike Mahar, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 583, said it was "an absolutely vicious attack... We're lucky he's here."

"How many careers do you go to work and you don't know if you're going home or if you're gonna be beat up?" he said. "It's devastating."

During a committee meeting Wednesday at city hall, Doug Morgan, the general manager of operational services, acknowledged the assault.

"There was an unfortunate incident that occurred last night … one of our frontline staff that we're quite concerned with," he said.

"Just thinking about all those hard-working folks that are out on the frontline providing service. It was a transit driver, so, our thoughts are with their families and that transit driver and all the folks that can be exposed to risk in the field as they get their duties done."

Safety a major concern for transit workers

Mahar said there about 60 to 70 assaults on transit workers each year that are significant enough to require some sort of intervention.

"We're as diverse a group as can be, and a lot of times that's a motivating factor for somebody to think that they can misbehave," he said.

Mahar said security upgrades are needed to deter people from targeting transit workers. For example, cameras only monitor the inside of a bus, but he said there's more technology that can be implemented to broaden security.

While the city has implemented more safety measures for transit, Mahar said much of the attention has been given to the light rail system as opposed to buses, despite seeing more assaults on transit workers in the bus system.

Dozens of Calgary Transit workers have left their job over safety concerns, many after an assault on the job, according to Mahar.

"It's heartbreaking," he said. "When they have to walk away from what is a career. And it's not a bad paying job and there's security there. But if you literally can't take it, what does that say?"