Strangers step up to give people rides during Blue Bus strike
Posted October 24, 2016 11:18 am.
Last Updated October 24, 2016 12:55 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WEST VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A strike involving unionized Blue Bus drivers and maintenance staff in West Vancouver means there is no public transit service to and from the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, indefinitely.
BC Ferries says it’s letting passengers know about the need to make alternate arrangements before they buy a ticket on Vancouver Island, and it’s also making announcements on its sailings. But what’s really coming through during this service disruption is the kindness of strangers.
For some people making their way from the island to the Interior, this bus strike is more than just a simple inconvenience. However, one woman NEWS 1130 spoke to, is impressed with drivers proactively offering rides to other passengers. “There were people yelling, ‘I have one spot going downtown.’ ‘I can take you to Park Royal,’ and after one person did it, all of a sudden other people were like, ‘Well I can give you a ride.’ Like a woman here just helped a guy whose cab took off on him,” she explains.
There is no timeline for when this strike will be solved.
Bill Tieleman speaks for the drivers and says mediated talks on Sunday were fruitless. “We are extremely disappointed and extremely frustrated with the District of West Vancouver. It’s the only municipality in BC that hasn’t been able to conclude a new collective agreement with its transit workers.”
In a statement, the District of West Vancouver says the transit union will be causing hardship for those who depend on Blue Bus, especially students and seniors. It says talks on Sunday were productive and believed a strike could have been averted.
But Tieleman says negotiators for the drivers couldn’t accept what was being offered. “The District is still demanding concessions on our benefits package. They are still not dealing with the important issue of retaining mechanics which have had a very high turn-over. We are just as frustrated as can be.”
Job action began last week, with drivers refusing to work overtime, which resulted in dozens of cancelled trips.
