Bus ban bylaw aims to remove problematic people from Saskatoon’s public transit

By Brody Langager of Saskatoon StartPhoenix

With this approach, the city says officers could charge riders for being unreasonably loud or for urinating or defecating on Saskatoon Transit property.

A big step to removing problematic people from Saskatoon’s public transit system could be taking place on Tuesday.

A transportation committee report is looking for approval to introduce a bylaw that will give Saskatoon Transit and police officers more power on buses.

During budget deliberations in November, Saskatoon city council approved funding for some police officers to patrol buses.

Saskatoon Transit and police have been trying to address safety concerns on buses for a few years now, with bear spray incidents taking place on city buses as recently as June 1.

The report to committee says the city has been working with the Saskatoon Police Service and the transit union to create a new bylaw framework.

The new mechanisms include the ability to remove people engaging in “unacceptable behaviour” from buses, banning people from buses and Saskatoon Transit property (whether temporarily through police or permanently through Saskatoon Transit), and issuing tickets for things like distracting a bus driver or putting your feet up on the seats.

The term “unacceptable behaviour” is meant to be broad, and could include things in provincial or federal law, city bylaw or anything that threatens well-being, safety, health, comfort or security.

With this approach, the city says officers could charge riders for being unreasonably loud or for urinating or defecating on Saskatoon Transit property.

There’s a $50 proposed fine for all transit-specific offences.

“While on the low end when compared to most other city fines, this amount reflects the relatively minor nature of these offences, as well as the plan to primarily address unacceptable behaviours through removal or denial of services,” the report states.

“It’s good to see some of these issues being addressed,” said Robert Clipperton with Bus Riders of Saskatoon.

He said some of the proposals in the bylaw might come as a shock to people who don’t pay close attention to what is happening on city buses.

“I would have wondered ‘gee, didn’t we have all of these things in place already?'”

Clipperton said he’s noticed that police are making their presence more known on buses, but added he has only seen them once so far.

He’s happy to see a graduated enforcement level, pointing to the education campaign the city will put out before cracking down on some of the rules within the bylaw.

But he wonders how they will be enforced. Issues like fare evasion can be difficult to address, and depending on the situation, no sleeping on the bus could be a little heavy-handed.

“I talked to a nurse from Regina … she said she’s been known to fall asleep on the bus after a late shift,” he pointed out.

He also considered how some people sleeping on the bus might have been ushered out of a shelter that morning.

Clipperton said while safety issues on buses need to be urgently addressed, he recognizes that a lot of this work takes time.

“They really need to get this safety piece worked out and solved before the Link Bus Rapid Transit comes in.”

Original StarPhoenix Article | Click Here