The Toronto Transit Commission says five of their 5,000 bus, streetcar and subway operators have failed random drug and alcohol tests in the last six months.
TTC spokesperson Brad Ross tells Moore in the Morning all five operators tested positive for pot.
In all 22, of 1,269 TTC employees in safety sensitive positions screened since early May have failed. 17 employees tested positive for drugs including 12 for pot. Another five tested positive for alcohol.
"We find these numbers to be high," Ross said Wednesday. "Of course the vast, vast majority of the TTC workforce would never dream of coming to work impaired, But those that do are putting their co-workers at risk and the public at risk and so we had to do something."
NEWSTALK 1010/DART Insight's Pulse of Toronto poll this fall found 50% of Torontonians worry at least a little about whether drugs or alcohol affects a TTC driver, including 46% of regular transit users.
About 10,000 TTC employees are eligible for random testing including operators, maintenance and frontline workers, anyone handling heavy machinery, supervisors, management and executives.
Ross says anyone who refuses to take a test is subject to dismissal and the majority of employees who have tested positive for drugs or alcohol are no longer working for the TTC.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 is still trying to kill the mandatory testing program.