Fraser Valley bus strike a struggle for many forced to pay for other transit options

Could you afford to suddenly spend an extra $500 a week on transportation?

People who depend on public transit in the Fraser Valley are sharing their stories as the bus strike surpasses the one-month mark, affecting thousands in the region who normally rely on transit to get to work, school and appointments.

That includes many seniors, young families and newcomers to Canada who use Archway Community Services in Abbotsford.

Suzan Deng, an immigrant from Sudan, typically takes the bus to get to the centre’s Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) classes four days a week, as well as to get back and forth to work.

Since the bus strike began, she says every day is a juggling act. She sometimes walks half an hour both ways to make it to classes. Other times, she is able to hitch a ride, and other times she resorts to a taxi.

Adding to that, her daughter is studying to become a nurse and is struggling to afford the $100 roundtrip taxi fare to Surrey five days a week.

Deng says they don’t want her to drop out of school but she isn’t sure how much longer she can keep up with the extra costs.

“I try to work overtime, 12 hours, every day to get enough money to pay for the taxi,” said Deng.

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LINC student Shakila, from Afghanistan, says she is also greatly affected by the bus strike.

“I depend on the bus and because of the bus strike, I pay money to Uber and Uber is expensive. My day is very affected because I have to walk everywhere and this takes a lot of time. So, I can say that the bus strike makes me waste precious time and money,” she said in an emailed statement provided by Archway Community Services.

Another student, Mary, describes her challenges as the transit strike drags on.

“It is difficult for me and my family. My husband depends on the bus to go to work. Because my family has one vehicle, when I go to the LINC class, I must take my daughter to school and then my husband to work and I must pick her up in the afternoons,” she said.

“All these trips add a lot of time to my day. It is burdensome and we now spend a lot of money on gas. Things are getting bad. Yes, I think bus drivers should strike for better wages and pension but I would suggest that it is time for the Government to get involved.”

That is something local governments are also asking for.

Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Mission and the Fraser Valley Regional District are calling on the province to help mediate an end to the labour dispute.

The union, CUPE Local 561, wants pension and wage parity with transit workers elsewhere in Metro Vancouver.

In a statement, First Transit, the United States–based contractor that operates the Fraser Valley bus service for BC Transit, says it is willing to resume negotiations, participate in mediation, or resolve the labour dispute through arbitration.

This week, Labour Minister Harry Bains publicly said he has offered mediation services, but neither side had approached him yet.

Fraser Valley bus drivers and maintenance workers have been without a contract since April 2020.

The job action began March 20, cutting bus service in Abbotsford, Aggasiz, Harrison, Chilliwack, Hope and Mission.