Metrolinx is considering subjecting workers who operate GO Transit and the Union Pearson Express (UPX) to random drug and alcohol tests.

The TTC began random spot checks of its workers in "safety-sensitive" positions last month in a move that provoked fierce pushback from the transit workers' union.

Metrolinx, the provincial agency in charge of GO Transit bus and rail lines as well as the UPX airport train service, confirmed it is mulling a policy of its own.

According to Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins, the agency formed a committee of lawyers and human resources staff last year to study the potentially thorny issue.

Aikins said Metrolinx has an excellent safety record but that random testing "could make your system even safer."

"Some of our positions are driving trains, they're driving buses on highways fast, with lots of customers, so there is a high risk associated with their job if they aren't fit for duty," she said.

The implementation of any testing policy would likely be complicated by the makeup of Metrolinx's workforce.

The agency directly employs about 870 GO bus drivers, but the more than 850 people who operate UPX and GO train service work for Bombardier, which is under contract to Metrolinx.

Metrolinx has no direct control over testing for Bombardier employees, although it could ask the company to match any policy it puts in place.

Asked if Bombardier would support random testing, a spokesperson for the Quebec-based rail manufacturer said "safety is paramount" and the company "welcomes all discussions to further reinforce a safe travel and work environment."

Reached by phone, the president of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1587, which represents GO bus drivers, declined to answer questions. Officials at Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Division 660, which represents Metrolinx's Bombardier employees, did not return requests for comment.

The president of Local 1587's national parent organization said he opposed random testing, however.

"It's a breach of the employees' human rights," said Paul Thorp, who heads ATU Canada.

He also raised concerns about the reliability of the tests. "There's a lot of false positives... I think that the science is not there as of yet," he said.

How quickly or how easily Metrolinx could move ahead with random testing is far from clear.

The TTC and its union have been locked in labour arbitration over the Toronto agency's policy since 2011, and the outcome of the case is still pending. The transit commission was only given the conditional green light for random testing in April after a Superior Court judge rejected the union's application for an injunction against it.

Metrolinx doesn't currently test its employees for drugs and alcohol, but says it takes a "zero-tolerance" approach and performs unannounced check-ins with drivers to ensure they comply. If a supervisor believes a driver is impaired, agency policy is to call police.

Bombardier does test its employees for drugs and alcohol, but only under certain circumstances, such as after an accident or if there is reasonable suspicion the worker is impaired on the job.

Aikins said she was not aware of any safety incidents on GO or UPX that were caused by impaired employees. But in April a GO bus driver made headlines when police charged him with impaired driving.

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The driver was returning from an eight-hour shift operating between Union Station and Mississauga when a supervisor concerned about his behaviour called police. The driver blew more than three times the legal limit on a breathalyzer test.

The TTC implemented its policy on May 8, and since then five employees out of about 200 randomly selected have tested positive for allegedly being impaired on the job — one for alcohol, and four for undisclosed drugs. None of the employees was a driver.

Toronto Star