A new transit bylaw may soon be put in place in Grande Prairie. The changes made would see significant emphasis put on the safety of not only the transit operators but passengers as well.
Currently, it is the up to the operator to make the decision to remove a passenger from a bus based on their own opinion of potential rule breaking, but as Transit Manager Steve Harvard says, a clear set of rules takes out any of the guesswork.
“They’ll be posted on the bus so they’ll be able to refer to the rules and say listen this isn’t me making the decision, it’s a bylaw that has been created.”
Some rules suggested for the new bylaw include fines upwards of $250 for skipping out on a fare and giving Peace Officers the ability to remove patrons if they break any rules.
Harvard says some things presented in the initial report, including the price of fines, or a sliding system for repeat offenders may be amended or included before any further steps are taken.
“There were a number of suggestions during the committee meeting that I’ll be going back to the bylaw and making some amendments to and bringing it back.”
Harvard believes best case scenario it will pass the committee phase and head to city council by the end of April.
