We’re beyond pleased to share that Coast Mountain Bus Company, and Unifor Locals 111 and 2200 have reached a tentative agreement! We’re working towards providing regular schedules for all transit modes.

On Wednesday, November 27; Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29, escalating job action will result in the suspension of SeaBus and most bus service in Metro Vancouver.

SkyTrain, West Coast Express and HandyDART will operate their regular schedules on these days. Also running on these days are a very limited number of bus routes operated by West Vancouver Blue Bus and other contractors.

Each day, half-a-million people take transit within our region, and we recognize that this job action will create challenging and uncertain commutes for many.

The following summary breaks down what transit service IS running on November 27, 28 and 29.

SkyTrain

Regular schedule on the Expo, Millennium and Canada Lines, plus more frequent off-peak SkyTrain service

Additional SkyTrain Attendants and Transit Police will be available at stations to assist customers

West Coast Express

Regular schedule

HandyDART

Regular schedule – Please note that due to job action, call wait times may be longer than normal.

Bus:

The following bus routes are not operated by Coast Mountain Bus Company and therefore WILL be running.

Although these services are operating their regular schedules, please plan for extra travel time as they will be busier than usual.

Other travel options

Increasing pick-up and drop-off locations

Designated spots, created using unused bus stops, to facilitate pick-up/drop-off for customers near SkyTrain stations

Carpooling

gobyRIDE and Liftango will be increasing service

Designated carpool spots will be available at Park and Ride facilities, which are located at SkyTrain and West Coast Express stations

Carsharing

Evo and ShareNow (formerly known as car2go) will be expanding their drop-off and pick-up boundaries

Cycling

Expanded bike parking at stations courtesy of BEST who will be providing complimentary bike valets at key stations from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Bicycles will be allowed on the SkyTrain, all day, in the last car of each train

More Mobi by Shaw Go bikes and staff will be available at docking stations near SkyTrain stations to assist customers

Monthly Pass holders, who do not use any public transit during the three-day strike, will automatically receive a prorated Stored Value credit on their Compass Card accounts.

For the most up-to-date information on the state of the system sign up for alerts and follow us on Twitter at @TransLink. For the latest media statements, check out translink.ca/jobaction. For alternative travel options during job action, please see our Stay Informed page.

Why is the transit strike happening?

CMBC has been in bargaining with the union (Unifor 111 and 2200) representing bus and SeaBus operators since August. The talks have broken off despite CMBC requesting mediation four times and the union refusing. CMBC is offering generous wage increases above amounts found in other public sector settlements in British Columbia: The top annual wage for operators will increase by about $6,100 over the next four years, bringing their annual salary to $69,900

over the next four years, bringing their annual salary to The top annual wage for skilled trades will increase by about $10,000 over the next four years, bringing their annual salary to $88,000

over the next four years, bringing their annual salary to CMBC is offering guaranteed overtime. Under the latest collective bargaining offer given by CMBC, transit operators would be guaranteed at least 40 minutes of recovery time for every scheduled shift. Under regular road conditions, transit operators would be paid double time for any minute of recovery time they don’t receive under 40 minutes. CMBC is also adding more scheduled recovery time to ensure operators are getting a rest. Read more on the CMBC offer in – 8 things you need to know about the Metro Vancouver Transit Strike.

Author: Sarah Kertcher