Protective partitions used in Toronto, Canada.

This past weekend, members of local 589’s executive board visited two ATU maintenance facilities in Toronto, Canada: the Hillcrest Light Rail facility and the Duncan Bus Facility.

The purpose of these visits were to gather information on the bus operator protective partitions and the maintenance and in house refurbishment of their light rail vehicles.

According to ATU Local 113 President Bob Kinnear, the majority of assaults in Toronto involve spitting and these protective partitions have cut down the incidents by 70%.”

Back in April, MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott announced plans to test the use of glass partitions. The first retrofitted test bus should have the barrier installed in mid October. After it’s installed, they will be asking for operator feedback on which design works the best since they will be trying out a couple different variations.

Click here to see photos from the visits.