232 assaults on MiWay transit buses and at bus stops in Mississauga the last five years
Published May 3, 2023 at 5:15 pm
The good news for Mississauga public transit officials is that ridership numbers on the City’s MiWay buses have returned to pre-COVID 19 pandemic levels.
The not so good news, it seems, is that along with a dramatic increase in ridership in 2022 and so far this year compared to the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 comes a jump in violent incidents, too.
Still, violence on MiWay transit buses, at bus stops across the city and at bus terminals isn’t anywhere near the level of attacks and fights that have been plaguing the TTC in Toronto in recent years.
According to City of Mississauga statistics (see image below), there have been 232 assaults on MiWay buses, at bus stops and at terminals the last five years total (2018 to 2022) in addition to the first four months of 2023.
In that same time period, MiWay numbers show there were 103 incidents of fighting.
By comparison, there were 1,068 violent incidents against TTC passengers in Toronto in 2022 alone, according to a TTC report. There were 734 such incidents in 2021.
Videos
And in the past year or so, the TTC has seen a number of high-profile attacks, some fatal, that have terrified riders and the public and sent municipal politicians and other officials there scrambling to put a lid on things.
Broken down by year, MiWay reported 47 assaults in 2018, 53 in 2019, 37 in 2020 (pandemic year one), 29 in 2021 (pandemic year two), 42 in 2022 (pandemic recovery year one) and 24 in the first four months of 2023.
The fighting incident numbers are 29 (2018), 30 (2019), 10 (2020), 8 (2021), 16 (2022) and 10 so far in 2023.
MiWay officials say their ridership in 2019, the year prior to the pandemic, was 41.4 million. It dipped significantly in 2020 and 2021, to about half that figure or less, before rebounding in 2022.
City officials note that violent incidents on MiWay buses are considered criminal acts and are reported to police for action.
“When possible, video and witness statements are provided to police to help with their investigations,” a City spokesperson said.
Image shows the number of violent incidents at bus stops, terminals and on MiWay buses between 2018 and April 2023 (Source: City of Mississauga)
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