Halifax Transit wants safety officers to ride buses to counter growing violence

CITYnews halifax / By Keith Doucette, The Canadian Press

HALIFAX — Atlantic Canada’s largest city is examining a proposal that would add safety officers to its buses and ferries to counter a growing trend of violence in the transit system.

A report by Halifax city staff says the number of violent incidents in the transit network rose by 107 per cent over the previous four years, with the severity of those cases increasing over that period. In 2018 Halifax Transit handled 96 violent incidents per month and so far this year the monthly average has been 248 cases.

Phil Herritt, director of transit operations, told regional council’s transportation committee on Thursday that his agency expects to deal with about 3,100 incidents by the end of the year.

“Transit agencies across Canada are facing challenges and increased incidents in and around transit,” Herritt said. “As a fast-growing city we face challenges that weren’t there even a few years ago.”

From May 1 to Sept. 30, the agency recorded 258 verbal and 75 physical assaults, 22 incidents involving weapon threats, and 138 cases that required involvement by police. Most of the incidents took place at the transit agency’s four major terminals, but violence has occurred “across the service,” Herritt said.

The report says the incidents involve assaults, unruly and intoxicated passengers, fare disputes and road rage. It recommends that to help deter violence, the agency hire 28 staff, including 18 traffic safety officers to ride buses and ferries, at a cost of more than $8 million over the next four years.

“They will be around as a visual deterrent … and to hopefully head off incidents before they escalate,” Herritt said.

Dave Reage, executive director of Halifax Transit, called the plan “a major change to the way we do business.”

Coun. Shawn Cleary told the hearing he gets more complaints about violence on the transit system than just about any other issue. Women, he said, have told him they avoid the Mumford bus terminal, located in his district, because they don’t feel safe.

Coun. Trish Purdy told the hearing she was verbally accosted at Dartmouth’s Alderney Landing ferry terminal.

“I’m not taking the ferry at night, I’m not going to put myself in that situation ever again, it’s a very unsafe feeling,” Purdy said.

The committee voted to take the plan to regional council, which is planning to soon examine staffing for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Coun. Waye Mason said the city needs to spend the money needed to improve safety.

“Obviously we have to do it,” Mason said. “Our employees need to be safe.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 24, 2023.

Keith Doucette, The Canadian Press