A Victoria bus passenger subjected to an obscene tirade — including death threats — from another passenger says she has accepted an apology from B.C. Transit’s general manager and wants to put the frightening incident behind her.
“I’m glad I spoke my piece, but I don’t think I want to pursue [it] further,” said Megan Henshaw, 27.
During an evening trip on the No. 14 bus on Oct. 18, a male passenger shouted obscenities at Henshaw. She said the driver told the abusive passenger to get off, but was rebuffed, leaving Henshaw, who had expected him to call a supervisor for assistance, on her own.
The aggressive man sat next to her and bombarded her with words such as “whore, bitch, fat cow” and worse. He then got off at her stop, forcing her to stay on board and take a longer route home.
Henshaw said she complained in writing to B.C. Transit the same night but heard nothing for two weeks. She has since received an apology.
Neither B.C. Transit spokesman Mike Russell nor operators’ union president Ben Williams would comment on whether the driver faced discipline or whether bus operators were reminded about what kinds of incidents oblige them to call for assistance.
Russell said the bus driver was “dealt with under the terms of the collective agreement and was given tools and training to assist them if they ever find themselves in situations like this in the future.”
Neither Russell, Williams nor Transit Commission chairwoman Susan Brice would comment on whether other passengers who find themselves in a similar situation could expect a supervisor to be called to assist.
Russell did not respond to questions about whether B.C. Transit deemed the situation one that warranted supervisor intervention.
“Our operators are asked to make judgment calls every day on how to react to situations on their bus, but they are not trained to confront individuals onboard,” he said.
“We try to avoid confrontations, as confrontations tend to put more people at risk, rather than mitigating or calming situations onboard.
“Our training is to inform our transit supervisors, who will attend the scene and, if necessary, request the assistance of other emergency response personnel.”
