Bill aimed at protecting bus, taxi drivers gets support from city council

An effort at the federal level to allow for harsher sentencing for people who abuse bus and taxi drivers has received unanimous support from members of St. John's city council.

Councillors voted this week to write a letter in support of Bill S-221, which has now moved to the House of Commons.

Supporters believe the bill could become law before the current session of Parliament ends.

There were two incidents of stalking where passengers found out where bus drivers lived and went to their houses and abused them.- Coun. Tom Hann

The bill was introduced by Ontario Senator Bob Runciman in May after what he called "light sentences" for several cases of serious assaults on public transit drivers. It was passed quickly in the Senate.

According to Runciman, some 2,000 public transit workers are assaulted every year in Canada.

The bill aims to protect bus and taxi drivers, ferry employees and others.

Abuse is common

It would give judges the authority to apply stiffer sentences for such offences, similar to Canada's hate crime legislation.

Coun. Tom Hann said a number of cab drivers in the St. John's area have been attacked recently, and a survey of taxi and bus drivers found many more of them have been abused over the years.

"It's necessary because we are seeing an escalation of incidents with taxi drivers," Hann said. 

He said 80 per cent of taxi drivers report being abused in one form or another.

Driver safety is also an issue for those who work for Metrobus in St. John's. 

Metrobus carried some three million-plus riders in 2012, according to the service's website.

Hann said drivers have reported abuse 58 times over the last number of years.

"There were two incidents of stalking where passengers found out where bus drivers lived and went to their houses and abused them," Hann stated.

Hann, meanwhile, may be asked to represent this province at a hearing in Ottawa.