VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – TransLink and Coast Mountain Bus Company are pleased with a couple of recent court sentences against people who attacked or threatened employees.

TransLink’s Drew Snider says a man who threatened a driver received a 15-day sentence, and a woman who assaulted a driver got 17 days in jail.

“It’s not unheard of but it’s not common for jail time to be handed down to others who have assaulted transit operators,” Snider notes.

“More often than not, there has not been jail and we don’t believe that’s an effective deterrent and an effective message to send to people that this something that’s not to be tolerated,” he adds.

TransLink has been lobbying the federal government for mandatory-minimum jail sentences for people who assault its workers. Snider says it’s needed because any an attack can put the lives of passengers, drivers, and pedestrians at risk.