Split shifts and ‘Big Brother’ driver cameras: Union takes the mic at bus crash inquest [Video]

The coroner’s inquest into the fatal OC Transpo bus crash of 2019 is exploring a broad swath of ideas for making transit safer: everything from creating more mentorship opportunities for new drivers to making their schedules more consistent.

When it comes to the prospect of driver-facing bus cameras, however, the head of the union local representing OC Transpo workers is voicing some reservations.

“The Big Brother fishbowl is always a concern,” said Noah Vineberg, the president of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 279 and a bus operator for more than 20 years.

“I just have concerns with privacy and always being under the microscope [and it] possibly becoming a retention [and hiring] issue,” Vineberg testified on Tuesday.

If cameras were mandated, though, “this union would never stand in the way of safety.”