What is it with transit users?

[newfcollins]

Not sure if anyone else saw this (http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/05...ther-children/), but in B.C., a woman boarded a bus without paying, and starting cursing. When a woman with three children asked her to stop....

Police say the woman then allegedly threatened to kill the complaining passenger and her three children, before throwing a drink at the youngest child, a boy who is less than a year old.

So the mom did what any normal mother would do. She beat up the first woman (video at the link, but it has some graphic language).

Then, a person who appears to be the bus driver enters the frame and does not physically break up the fight, but says something, and the two women separate.

Police say the two women exited the bus but the suspect then allegedly chased after the mother, who was walking towards the Willowbrook Shopping Centre.

“The suspect ran after her and produced a knife, knocked over the complainant’s daughter (four years old) and kicked her other daughter (two years old) in the back,” Marks said.

The woman was later arrested, but to me, this all falls on the bus driver. He let the woman on without paying, let her curse so much that people asked her to stop, she threatened a passenger and her children, and then threw a drink at the mom. He never broke up the fight, and then let them both off at the stop so it could escalate even more.

[gainerama]

Bus driver shouldn't have let the woman get on without a fare in the first place, but he cannot enter a physical altercation due to legal ramificiations cause the city would be liable in a worst case scenerio.

[Pengwin7]

I wish I could love this story... but not with kids involved.
Idiots on both sides.

1. You don't ever threaten little kids - what's the effin point, what'd they do?
2. If you have little kids - don't get involved. Suck it up and take it. Your job is to keep the kids safe, not defend their honor & put them in danger.


Now... if this was just two random women, with no kids involved,
my response would simply be:

*Thank you cell phone video apps!!!

[Krysmo]

Nice that you're blanketing all transit users with that statement.

[newfcollins]

Nice that you're blanketing all transit users with that statement.

I meant to also talk about the woman in Edmonton last month who appeared to be possessed on the transit system and attacked someone. But when my original post went long, I took it out.

[Dakkster]

Not sure if anyone else saw this (http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/05...ther-children/), but in B.C., a woman boarded a bus without paying, and starting cursing. When a woman with three children asked her to stop....



So the mom did what any normal mother would do. She beat up the first woman (video at the link, but it has some graphic language).



The woman was later arrested, but to me, this all falls on the bus driver. He let the woman on without paying, let her curse so much that people asked her to stop, she threatened a passenger and her children, and then threw a drink at the mom. He never broke up the fight, and then let them both off at the stop so it could escalate even more.

This all falls on the bus driver? Huh? This all falls on the ******* who kept being an ******* after not paying and then threw something at a small child.

[peatrc]

I live in Vancouver and take a bus through dt eastside a few times a week, (which must be one of the most depraved areas in North America), and it is a very common occurance for people with lots of problems (psychological, addictions, etc.) get on the bus without fare but normally they politely ask the bus driver.

So I do not believe this is a "transit users" problem- It is a rather sad public health issue.

*EDIT: After reading the article I realize it was in Langley, but I still see a lot of strange things on the bus through that area. Funny enough, as we slowly pass through downtown and get closer to UBC the character of the bus changes quite a bit.

[stick boy]

I am a bus driver in Vancouver. We are are told by the company to not physically intervene in these situations. We are suppose to press an emergency response button and wait for help. The company has taken a very passive stance in trying to protect the drivers as they think that it will result in a decrease in driver assaults. We have 2 different levels of emergency response and a button for each. At the most, by company standards, the driver should have tried to calm the passengers down and called for help.

Now as getting on free goes? ... Because of driver assaults, the company issued a "fare paid zone" policy in which you the passenger are responsible for your own fare. There's a 10% chance that Transit Security will do a fare check and give you a $180 fine....... But that is your responsibility... Not ours. so everyone is allowed on the bus for free. We are technically not allowed to refuse you service without fare and we can even get suspended for doing such. Which is ridiculous.

So to sum it up...... The company has taken all of our power and ability to handle situations on our own. We do not feel protected by the company and most refuse to intervene in a majority of situations.

The public has slowly taken note of this and are continually abusing the system.

[mister_mcgoo]

2. If you have little kids - don't get involved. Suck it up and take it. Your job is to keep the kids safe, not defend their honor & put them in danger.

Don't get involved in the first place you mean? Because if someone attacks my child (and yes throwing a drink at a toddler qualifies) then she's getting knocked the hell out, I don't care who she is...plain and simple, no ifs ands or buts

But beyond that I guess I agree in general that it's a situation where it is not worth it to get involved, because who is being hurt if you stay out of it? The city losing $2? Not worth it at all. But at some point you need to draw the line...what if you see an old man being beaten and robbed, do you just walk away because your kid is with you? At some point you've gotta do the right thing even if it's the hard thing to do.

[Loch]

Back when I used to live in Toronto I took transit all the time and without fail the seat next to me would be the last one taken on the bus.

When I see stories like this about transit riders I can't help but wonder just how unfriendly I must look...

[Thunder]

Back when I used to live in Toronto I took transit all the time and without fail the seat next to me would be the last one taken on the bus.

When I see stories like this about transit riders I can't help but wonder just how unfriendly I must look...

Based on your posts, I'm sure you're a very friendly looking kind of guy -so don't beat yourself up about that.

It was probably more of a personal hygiene issue.