The Toronto Transit Commission is asking for court-ordered bans for those who assault its employees from using its services.
The latest request comes on the heels of a recent incident in which a rider knocked a TTC employee to the ground and kicked a door into his face.
Danny Nicholson, a spokesperson with TTC, says the rider has been prohibited from travelling on the subway system as part of his bail condition, but he is permitted to travel on the bus system.
While noting that the bans might be difficult to enforce, Nicholson says imposing outright bans on assailants would act as a deterrent and also lead to further criminal charges if the assailant is caught for some other crime while using TTC services.
“If a person as part of his or her bail condition is prohibited from travelling on the TTC and happens to be arrested for any other incidents ... then that person could face additional charges for breaking their bail conditions,” Nicholson says.
Currently TTC experiences an average of two assaults to its employees per day, up from last year.
“About a year to a year and a half ago this time we were saying that it was one operator a day. Now, it is two,” Nicholson says, while noting that ridership has also gone up during this period.
The TTC has launched various security campaigns to increase the safety of operators, including installing cameras in all buses, street cars, and new subway trains, and installing barricades on buses and street cars.
The latest request comes on the heels of a recent incident in which a rider knocked a TTC employee to the ground and kicked a door into his face.
Danny Nicholson, a spokesperson with TTC, says the rider has been prohibited from travelling on the subway system as part of his bail condition, but he is permitted to travel on the bus system.
While noting that the bans might be difficult to enforce, Nicholson says imposing outright bans on assailants would act as a deterrent and also lead to further criminal charges if the assailant is caught for some other crime while using TTC services.
“If a person as part of his or her bail condition is prohibited from travelling on the TTC and happens to be arrested for any other incidents ... then that person could face additional charges for breaking their bail conditions,” Nicholson says.
Currently TTC experiences an average of two assaults to its employees per day, up from last year.
“About a year to a year and a half ago this time we were saying that it was one operator a day. Now, it is two,” Nicholson says, while noting that ridership has also gone up during this period.
The TTC has launched various security campaigns to increase the safety of operators, including installing cameras in all buses, street cars, and new subway trains, and installing barricades on buses and street cars.
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