Day 2 of Bus Strike in Metro Vancouver Sends Residents Searching for Alternative Transportation
Hundreds of thousands of Metro Vancouver residents are without a bus ride again on Jan. 23 as striking transit supervisors carry on with their 48-hour strike.
The dispute between more than 180 members of CUPE Local 4500 and Coast Mountain Bus Company has stopped 96 percent of the region’s buses as well as the SeaBus across Burrard Inlet.
B.C. Labour Minister Harry Bains says his ministry is considering appointing a special mediator in the dispute, although he also urged both sides to start talking again.
Union spokesman Liam O’Neill says members aren’t happy about taking the action and they tried to pressure the employer without affecting the public, but Coast Mountain is unwilling to deal with a wage discrepancy and is trying to bully the union.
Coast Mountain president Michael McDaniel says the union won’t adjust its demand for wage increases and the company has offered more overtime pay, and improved benefits, and committed to hiring more supervisors.
The strike has resulted in a sharp spike in ride-hailing demand, and Uber and Lyft both say they have capped surge pricing to keep fares from escalating.
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Uber spokeswoman Keerthana Rang says in a statement that the number of active Uber drivers rose more than 70 percent on Monday between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., but “it is not reasonable to expect Uber to fill the massive gap left by a transit strike.”
Ms. Rang says Uber has also offered incentives for drivers to complete more trips during times of higher demand, such as the transit strike.
The strike is expected to end in time for the morning commute on Jan. 24, although Mr. O’Neill says action will escalate if Coast Mountain doesn’t come back to the table with a better offer.
