Transit is an essential service, BC United says amid strike

BC United says the provincial government needs to step in and prevent transit chaos before it begins, as Metro Vancouver buses and SeaBus sit idle during the region’s transit strike.

BC United Leader Kevin Falcon says the province needs to show leadership here before things get worse.

“This is not about the workers themselves, it’s about a failure of government to make sure they are leading, and make sure we can get these settlements done well in advance of the expiration of contracts, so we don’t run into this situation,” he told CityNews Monday.

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The opposition leader’s comments come as busses and the SeaBus, which are run by Coast Mountain Bus Company, are out of service after the union which represents about 180 supervisors began strike action early Monday morning.

Falcon says the situation the region has found itself in is because the government isn’t proactively intervening.

People in the Lower Mainland simply can’t function effectively without public transportation, Falcon added.

“Frankly, these are essential services. People use transit to get to work, to get to doctors appointments — this is not something that should be getting in the way and interrupting the public.”

Falcon explains you can’t tell people to give up their cars in favour of transit, when it isn’t a reliable alternative.

“I’m just asking this government to please show leadership on this issue, and don’t let this expand to cause chaos in the Lower Mainland next.”