I hate to use this article, because the headline strikes me as having a kind of anti-union tone to it, but I do have to wonder about the objections that the drivers give:
Ontario's
chief human rights commissioner sees only poor excuses for Grand River
Transit drivers refusing to call out all bus stops."I really
find it difficult to believe that calling out stops will have the kind
of impact some people are alleging," Barbara Hall said.The commission has asked all Ontario transit systems to call out all stops on all routes.
This is to assist the blind who have "a compelling need," Hall says.
The request has received a mixed response across Ontario.
Local
drivers say calling out all stops puts their health at risk. They have
launched a workplace safety complaint, stalling call-outs.Transit
officials in other cities say the rights commission has not grasped the
complications, and is pressing too fast for changes."It's a
mishmash across the province, none of which is really working very
effectively," said Kelly Paleczny, chair of the Ontario Public Transit
Association.Some of the reported challenges include:
Naming all stops and training drivers to memorize them;
Making calls heard over noisy buses;
Driver distraction and workload;
Straining driver vocal cords;
Monitoring compliance.
From the Waterloo Record.