Vancouver bus drivers will soon be protected by safety shields.
TransLink says over 100 bus drivers were attacked in 2015 and 2016, so it's installing shields on it's existing fleet of over 200 buses, and on all new transit vehicles.
Here in Kelowna, Amalgamated Transit Union President Scott Lovell says his drivers don't have it any easier.
"There are one to two verbal threats every day, but we're just numb to it now because it's part of the job; we're used to getting threatened very day," says Lovell. "Now, a physical, actual serious, call the cops and/or a supervisor to attend scenario, we're seeing two a month."
Lovell says they asked parent company First Transit to retro-fit Kelowna's 100 buses with safety shields last fall, but haven't heard back on when that might happen.
"There was a trial of the shields that was supposed to happen back in September, and here we are now almost in April, and there are still no shields here - even to try out and see how they work in our buses," he says.
Translink says the ceiling to floor shields will feaure a sliding window to maintain communication between the driver and passenger and will cost around $5,000 apiece.