Metro Vancouver transit users received some good news Tuesday afternoon. TransLink announced that all SeaBus and bus services will resume Wednesday, January 24th.
SeaBus and bus services are expected to start again at 3:30am Wednesday morning. However, transit users are being warned to prepare for a slow start as services resume after a 48-hour strike.
TransLink says services should be back to normal by 5am.
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After talks broke down between Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC), an operating subsidiary of TransLink, and CUPE 4500, a 48-hour strike shut down bus and SeaBus services across Metro Vancouver Monday morning.
No agreement has been reached between the two sides, but 180 transit supervisors will return to work beginning Wednesday morning. The overtime ban that originally started on January 6 will be in place.
CUPE 4500 says their key issues have not been addressed by CMBC.
“With the help of our mediator, CUPE 4500 put in an honest effort to find some common ground with Coast Mountain. But we are still not near where we need to be in addressing our key issues,” says Liam O’Neill, spokesperson for CUPE 4500. “For a fair settlement, CUPE 4500 members need wage discrepancies closed between them and other TransLink supervisors, and we need to tackle critical workload issues.”
SkyTrain services, West Coast Express, HandyDART, West Vancouver Blue Bus, Bowen Island Community Shuttles, and Langley Community Shuttles have not been affected by the strike.
More services disruptions are possible and many fear strike action may also spread to the SkyTrain network.