‘Fox in a hen house’: HandyDART worker appeals to TransLink to leave private operator

Metro Vancouver HandyDART workers are asking TransLink not to renew its contract with a for-profit company commissioned to operate the HandyDART service.

In a statement to CityNews, TransLink said multinational mobility company Transdev is under contract to operate HandyDART in Metro Vancouver until mid-2026.

At TransLink’s Quarterly Meeting Wednesday, a driver named Martin implored the board to reconsider signing another contract with Transdev.

“We’ve been dealing with private companies forever — since I’ve been working for HandyDART, which is 12 years, and it’s been going on longer than that. It’s not a good system. It doesn’t work for the passengers. It doesn’t work for us,” said Martin.

He says TransLink and Metro Vancouver have a “great resource” in HandyDART, with passionate and committed workers, and keeping it out of the public transit operator is a waste.

“Farming out the service to a private corporation for-profit Corporation is allowing a fox into a hen house fox, which feeds off of the most vulnerable members of our society and we need to take better care of them,” said Martin.

Even after a new deal was ratified Monday with Transdev following a weeks-long strike by HandyDART workers, Martin says morale is at an “all-time low.”

He says the workers were left with no option but to strike.

“The company, which operates HandyDART right now, they’re not interested in making the service better, fixing anything. They’re their main interest is to suck out as many resources as they can before they get replaced by somebody else,” said Martin.

He hopes the board brings HandyDART “in-house,” operating it in the same manner as Coast Mountain, the West Coast Express, SkyTrain, and SeaBus.

“We’re the only part of TransLink which is farmed out to a private corporation and it doesn’t have to be that way. We can make the service better. We can set it up for better accountability. We don’t need this French cooperation in between TransLink and us. We can cooperate. We can be great partners. We as employees, as a union, we can be great partners.”

Martin says HandyDART passengers are tired of being offered taxi use when the minibuses aren’t available — a scenario he claims has ballooned to 25 per cent of all trips in the last two years.

“Many of our drivers, as well as the office staff have members of family with disabilities. So we know what it’s like for them firsthand. With all my heart, I hope that TransLink will finally do the right thing.”

TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn says the transit service provider is actively reviewing its delivery model for HandyDART. He says the decision to review was made at the beginning of the year.

“And as we move forward, we’re going to continue to consider feedback from stakeholders as an important part of the review process and I look forward to sharing additional updates with the board in the coming months,” said Quinn.