Hamilton bus drivers exposed to violence ‘daily,’ says union, as data shows assaults up 126% over last decade

Nearly every day Hamilton bus operator Eric Tuck gets behind the wheel, he says somebody threatens to harm or even kill him.

While he’s skilled at deescalating situations with irate passengers after 38 years of city bus driving, he says the number of threats and other violent crimes on public transit or at stops have become not only more frequent, but also more serious in recent years.

Tuck is also Local 107 president of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and regularly hears concerns from other operators.

“We can’t safely operate a bus if we’ve got people coming in and assaulting us, or throwing coffees at us, spitting at us, yelling and screaming at us,” Tuck said.

“Public transit is by far one of the safest modes of transportation but our operators are exposed to violence on a daily