55 per cent of Metro Vancouver residents fear violence on transit

While many Metro Vancouver residents use public transportation to get around, a new poll suggests most don’t feel safe while doing so.

“Usually, it’s pretty safe, but every so often it gets a bit sketchy,” one frequent transit passenger told The Leader Spirit.

Commissioned by The Leader Spirit and done by Canada Pulse Insights, the poll suggests 68 per cent of people in Metro Vancouver feel safe in their neighborhoods at night.

But it’s a different story when it comes to public transportation. With 55 per cent saying they fear being victims of violence while riding a bus or the Skytrain.

“The number surprises me, I wouldn’t have thought that many people live in fear of that,” said another Metro Vancouver resident.

And some people The Leader Spirit spoke to say they’ve even experienced or seen violence on transit.

“We were on Hastings and one of the buses there – and a couple of people got on and got into a full-on brawl,” a transit passenger told The Leader Spirit.
“That was intense.”

“I’ve seen some incidents where people who maybe have mental health issues, and they’ll be having outbursts – sometimes physical, sometimes verbal,” a different transit passenger said.

“And I’ve witnessed this a few times.”

But Metro Vancouver Transit Police say reported crimes against passengers are generally unchanged over the last three years and considerably lower than in 2022, when they were at their highest.

“We live in such a digital era that people are constantly bombarded with videos and news feeds and social media feeds of violence and crime. Some of it may not even happen here, and you can’t help but take that with you, and sometimes that does increase the feeling of being unsafe,” Metro Vancouver Transit Police media relations officer Cst. Amanda Steed explained.

Statistics show crime is down

Videos like the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina bus in August.

“The reality is that it’s overblown in the sense that there is greater concern when in fact there may be less of it going on,” said John Wright, CEO of Canada Pulse Insights.

In a statement, TransLink is also highlighting statistics showing crime is down.

Transit Police say if you ever feel unsafe, you can text them.

“87-77-77. And we always ask that people put that number in their phone before they leave so they have that plan and that phone number available,” Cst. Steed said.

“Having that text thing where if you feel unsafe is really helpful,” a passenger said.

CCTV and silent alarms are among the other safety features within the TransLink transit network.