GO Transit buses have been involved in almost 900 collisions since 2014, and the agency’s bus drivers were at fault for nearly half of them.

According to figures provided by Metrolinx, the provincial organization in charge of GO, the service recorded 897 crashes between April 2014 and March of this year.

Of those, 46.5 per cent were deemed “preventable,” a term Metrolinx uses to describe a collision that the bus driver “failed to do everything reasonable and possible” to avoid.

GO’s rate of preventable crashes is higher than that of the TTC, which has determined that its operators are at fault for about one quarter of collisions involving its buses and streetcars.

Metrolinx and the TTC each conduct their own investigations into crashes, and Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins said she couldn’t say why GO had a higher rate of preventable collisions, or how the TTC’s methodology might differ from that of her agency.

But she said “safety of our passengers, our staff and the public is always our first priority” and the agency’s goal “is to operate a safe, comfortable transit service and ensure our drivers are well trained and experienced professionals.”

The union that represents GO bus drivers did not respond to a request for comment Thursday evening.

According to Aikins, before they get behind the wheel, GO’s roughly 870 bus drivers undergo “rigorous” safety training that exceeds Ministry of Transportation standards. It includes a seven-week course that drivers must complete before they start duty and recurring training every three years after that.

Drivers who are involved in a preventable collision, fall below agency standards, or are returning from an extended absence may also have to take refresher courses.

The figures provided by Metrolinx show that the number of annual GO bus crashes is on the rise. There were 313 collisions recorded over the course of the agency’s last fiscal year, which ended in March. That represents a 20-per-cent increase over the 261 collisions recorded in 2014-2015.

The vast majority of the crashes weren’t serious and didn’t involve any injuries. However, they included a fatal collision in February that killed a 32-year-old woman at the Union Station Bus Terminal in downtown Toronto, as well as a 2015 bus rollover on Highway 407 in Vaughan that left a 56-year-old female passenger dead.

The rollover was deemed not preventable, while the incident at the bus terminal is still under investigation. Metrolinx says these are the only two fatal bus crashes in GO’s 50-year history.

Aikins said that some increase in the number of collisions was expected, because Metrolinx has increased GO bus service in the past three years by about 5 per cent. The agency’s fleet of more than 500 buses travels roughly 50 million kilometres on city streets and highways throughout the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area.

“Collision numbers can fluctuate year over year based on a number of factors” including issues outside of Metrolinx’s control like the weather, she said, adding that GO’s collision rate is “well below industry standards.”

Unlike the TTC, which is “self-insured” and pays for accident claims out of its operating budget, Metrolinx is insured for collisions through two private companies, QBE services Inc. and Markel Canada Ltd.

Aikins said that the agency pays insurance premiums of less than $3 million each year.

By the numbers

897: GO Transit bus collisions in three-year period ending March 2017

417: Number of collisions deemed to be the GO bus driver’s fault

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50 million km: Distance GO buses travel on region’s roads each year

20 per cent: increase in number of GO bus collisions between 2014 and 2017

2: Number of fatal bus crashes in GO’s 50-year history

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