Canada’s public transit systems are facing a mounting crisis of violence and insecurity as new data reveals steep increases in assaults, robbery and other serious offences on buses, trains and at transit shelters — a trend that threatens commuter safety and public confidence in mass transit. According to a comprehensive analysis by CBC News in collaboration with the Investigative Journalism Foundation (IJF), cities across the country have recorded dramatic year-over-year rises in violent incidents on public transit networks between 2018 and 2024.
In the city of Winnipeg Transit, for instance, violent incidents on buses, at stops, and in transit shelters skyrocketed from 104 occurrences in 2018 to 314 in 2023 — representing a staggering 281 percent increase. Though there was a slight dip to 286 incidents in 2024, the overall level remains near record highs. Common assault remains the most frequent offence, but more serious crimes — including assaults with weapons, bodily harm, sexual offences, and robberies — have also surged significantly.
Other major urban centres are not spared. According to the CBC/IJF data, cities such as Edmonton Transit, Kitchener–Waterloo Transit, Montreal Transit, Toronto Transit Commission, Calgary Transit and Vancouver Transit Police all recorded double- or near–double-digit percentage increases in reported violent crimes on transit between 2018 and 2024.
Root Causes & Systemic Pressures
Experts who analysed the data suggest multiple, overlapping factors driving the surge. Among them: rising social and economic pressures post-pandemic; increased urban migration and commuting volumes; growing substance-abuse and mental-health crises; and reduced capacity of social support networks. Many offenders appear to be repeat actors — not occasional criminals but individuals with multiple prior incidents.
Advocates argue that transit systems, long used primarily as mobility infrastructure, are increasingly being treated as overflow spaces for deeper social problems — poverty, homelessness, addiction, and mental illness — without the resources or support to manage them. Without a strong safety net, security initiatives alone risk treating symptoms instead of causes.
Response: Police Patrols, Safety Plans, and Mixed Results
Several cities are responding with heightened security measures. In Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) has launched a “Violent Crime Intervention Strategy” involving uniformed and plain-clothes officers riding buses and patrolling known hotspots to intercept offenders.
In contrast, in the Vancouver area, the Metro Vancouver Transit Police reports a modest drop in overall crime rate — a reduction of 8 percent in crimes against persons and 9 percent in crimes against property in 2024 compared with the prior year, despite increased ridership. Authorities credit the decline to more frequent patrols, better training, and increased arrests, including for outstanding warrants.
However, transit workers’ unions, riders and some officials warn that piecemeal policing — without broader social interventions — offers only temporary relief; underlying issues such as mental health, homelessness, poverty and substance abuse remain unaddressed.
What This Means for Canadians
For everyday commuters, the rise in transit violence is eroding trust and forcing difficult trade-offs: many feel compelled to avoid public transit altogether, or travel only during daylight hours, with profound consequences for mobility, affordability, and social equity.
For public-policy makers and transit authorities, the data presents a stark warning: without integrated approaches — combining policing, social services, addiction support, mental health resources, housing, and community engagement — transit networks may become increasingly unsafe and underutilized, undermining efforts to reduce car dependency, carbon emissions, and urban congestion.
Canada’s transit systems — once celebrated as engines of mobility and inclusion — risk becoming frontline battlegrounds for deeper social breakdowns. The question now is whether governments, agencies and civil society will treat this as a transit-safety issue or a societal crisis demanding comprehensive, long-term solutions.