B.C. Fraser Valley bus services suspended

Those who ride the bus in the Fraser Valley will need to find another way to get around, as BC Transit says all services are suspended as of Monday,

This comes just over a week after the corporation announced that full service would be returning.

Read More: Fraser Valley transit systems resuming service after ongoing labour dispute

But in a news release Friday, the group says that if a deal related to the ongoing job action wasn’t reached by the end of the day Sunday, transit will halt until further notice.

(1/4) Central #FraserValley #RiderAlert – CUPE 561 operating under First Transit is taking further strike action on Monday (Mar 20) by suspending service in #Abbotsford #Agassiz #Aldergrove #Chilliwack #HarrisonBC #HopeBC & #MissionBC, including route 66 Fraser Valley Express.

— BC Transit (@BCTransit) March 17, 2023

The service halt will affect riders in Abbotsford, Agassiz-Harrison, Chilliwack, Hope, Mission, and customers using the Fraser Valley Express, BC Transit says.

However, it adds that HandyDART services will not be impacted.

Related Articles: 

• BC Transit bus strike disrupts service in Abbotsford, Chilliwack

• Fraser Valley transit strike: Most busses won’t run Monday, Tuesday

The Canadian Union of Public Employees Britsh Columbia (CUPE 561), which represents transit workers in the area, has been conducting on-and-off job action for weeks.

Union workers have been calling for a new contract, citing concerns about low wages, poor working conditions, and a lack of pension.

“This employer has completely refused to meaningfully discuss the regional wage disparity and lack of a pension,” CUPE 561 President Jane Gibbons said in a news release. “It’s gotten so bad that we’re left with no alternative but to shut down services.”

CUPE 561 says contract talks with First Transit — a BC Transit contractor — have been ongoing since last spring.

-With files from Hana Mae Nassar