TTC reinstates streetcar driver who chased suspect

TORONTO, Ont. – TTC streetcar driver Dino Oroc has been reinstated without losing pay after he was suspended for leaving his streetcar to chase down a man who allegedly assaulted a passenger earlier this week.

Transit workers’ union president Bob Kinnear said the TTC decided to reverse its decision to suspend the driver without pay for Wednesday’s incident.

“We are comfortable that this injustice is going to be corrected and that we will not have any future incidences of this kind,” Kinnear said.

Oroc said he left his seat, which is against protocol, to investigate a confrontation between a man and a woman on the streetcar. The man left the streetcar and was being chased by the woman. Oroc left the streetcar to help the woman. The suspect eventually got away.

“Would I do it again? I can’t answer that. But it depends on the circumstances,” Oroc said.

Kinnear urged the TTC to use “discretion and common sense.”

“We’ve got to continue to have some dialogue to ensure that if there is ever a circumstance like this again, that there is discretion and common sense used by the TTC,” he said.

TTC CEO Andy Byford said the commission was following protocol when it suspended Oroc.

He said it is practice to relieve a driver of duty to review the incident.

“The first concern we had was very much that the streetcar was left unattended,” he said.

“We do stress to our staff ‘don’t put yourself at danger.'”

“We do progressively get better at making good decisions,” Byford said.

“There’s always learning out of any incident. I’m going to make sure that we take this forward in a positive manner in partnership with the union,” he said.

Oroc met with the commission to review the protocol with respect to leaving a vehicle unattended.