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Request Honour System For Fare Collection |
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Tuesday, 12 January 2010 |
December 8, 2009
Mr. Fred Wong, Director,
Calgary Transit,
928 – 32nd Avenue N.E.,
CALGARY, Alberta (#166 S.G.)
Dear Mr. Wong:
Subject: Fare Collections Resulting In Assaults On Operators
As you are aware, the most common reason for verbal abuse and physical assaults on Transit Operator’s across North America are disputes over collection of fares.
Calgary Transit is no exception to this rule. Fare disputes take place every single day and there is not an Operator on the job that hasn’t been negatively impacted by this type of interaction with non-paying passengers. These attacks on our members have resulted in countless days of lost time due to the long lasting severe psychological and physical damage caused to them. Some of these injuries are permanent. The annual cost to the City of Calgary has to be in the tens of thousands of dollars in lost time, benefits, WCB and items like attrition and training. The cost to the Operator and their families is much greater.
As previously discussed, the Amalgamated Transit Union is working on a number of fronts to reduce all types of assaults on our members. One of those initiatives is to have the laws changed to make assaults on Transit employees treated the same as assaults on Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services. Again, as mentioned earlier we will be seeking the support of employers and municipalities to accomplish this.
As much as deterrents are important, reducing potentially volatile situations is equally important. Unfortunately once again the headlines in today’s paper are covering a vicious and senseless attack on a Transit Operator, this time out of our Sister City, Edmonton, Alberta. This attack was over a simple request for a proper fare. There is more information on this attack at:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Injured+Edmonton+driver+undergoes+second+surgery/2304394/story.html
The most current Fare Collection policy Calgary Transit applies is contained in the Bus Operating Rule Book under Article 800 and was released in 2000. Article 801 states that Operators must ensure customers pay the proper fare. Article 806 states that a reasonable effort must be made to collect a proper fare. If a customer repeatedly indicates a lack of funds or refuses to pay the correct fare the Operator is instructed to contact a Supervisor. They are not to pursue fare collection to the point of confrontation.
This is where the problem arises. The majority of assaults are a result of fare collection issues. The Operators are required to make a reasonable effort to collect fares but not to the point of confrontation. This fine line is impossible to predict. In fact, in most cases a non-paying passenger already has some type of internal issue that has elevated the likelihood that his or her response to any discussion around fares could be volatile.
Due to the unpredictable nature of any attempt to collect fares, the increased number of vicious assaults and incidents of verbal abuse on Operators as a result of these attempts and the impossible nature of defining a line of “the point of confrontation”, I request the practice of Operators actively collecting fares cease immediately.
The most recent assault on the Operator at Edmonton Transit would not have happened if collecting fares were not a part of an Operators’ duties. It is highly unlikely this Operator will ever work again and it is definite that his physical and psychological well-being will never be whole again.
By discontinuing fare collection and moving to an honour system there will be an immediate positive impact on the morale of Operators and a decrease in costs for lost time and benefits, WCB premiums and training resulting from attrition.
I look forward to hearing from you on this important matter in the near future.
Sincerely,
MIKE MAHAR
PRESIDENT/B.A.
Enc. Edmonton Journal Report
800 Section: Operator’s Rule Book
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