for reasons of passenger safety, the operation of this vehicle with anyone standing in front of the yellow line is strictly prohibited
There is a sign above the front windshield that says something like that on every bus operated by Thunder Bay Transit. The message on the sign is very clear. Nothing left to the imagination.
I am pretty sure that the intent of the sign is to protect passengers from injury. A sudden stop and anyone standing in front of that yellow line is going to impact the front of the bus with a part of their body. The injury can be very serious.
Also, that person standing in front of the yellow line is almost always carrying on a conversation with the driver. That conversation can last for a very long time. The entire route sometimes.
So, if people are allowed to stand in front of the yellow line while the bus is moving and are injured because of being allowed to stand in front of the yellow line while the bus is moving , even though there is a sign stating that it is unsafe to allow passengers to stand in front of the yellow line while the bus is moving, who is at fault? Who gets sued?
Another question is what does the company that insures Thunder Bay Transit buses, operators and passengers think of this policy of ignoring that sign located above the front windshield on every bus?
Sure, bus collisions do not happen very often. Rare in Thunder Bay. However, nobody knows when the next collision will happen or how serious a collision it will be.
Whether the safety of its own employees or that of the public, I have to ask just how serious is the City of Thunder Bay about safety? I am not seeing any signs that City Admin really gives a shit.
