Toronto's transit service says it will consider randomly testing employees for drugs and alcohol after a woman died in a crash involving a bus driver who was allegedly carrying drugs while on the job.
A TTC staff report released Monday recommended adding random drug testing to its existing fitness for duty policy in an effort to improve safety for employees and passengers.
TTC officials will consider the report during a meeting on Wednesday.
The recommendation comes months after a 43-year-old woman was killed while riding a bus that collided with a crane truck on Lawrence Avenue East, near Don Mills Road. Thirteen others were injured in the Aug. 30 crash.
Toronto police later charged the bus driver with criminal negligence causing death and possession of cannabis.
In a news release on Monday, the TTC said they have been considering random tests for some time, downplaying the connection between the fatal crash and the new recommendation.
The TTC established a fitness for duty policy in 2010 that did not include random drug and alcohol testing for employees.
The policy allows for the alcohol and drug testing of certain executives, managers and those in "safety-sensitive positions." The current rules also allow for testing as part of an investigation, should someone appear unfit to work.
Random testing had been considered at the time, but was ultimately rejected based on privacy concerns.
"Random alcohol and drug testing involves a breathalyzer test for alcohol and an oral fluid test for drugs, as is the case for post-incident and reasonable cause testing today," Monday's news release stated.
The tests would only determine whether the person was impaired at the time, and not whether they were a recreational drug user, the TTC said. The lab would issue a pass-fail grade and not reveal the levels of the substance.
Windsor is currently the only Canadian public transit operator with random testing in place, and it is used only for employees who operate routes that cross into the U.S.
