METRO VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Eighty-two per cent of bus drivers who cast a vote have decided to endorse a new contract hammered out by Unifor and the Coast Mountain Bus Company.

Unifor’s Gavin McGarrigle says not only did they make some wage gains, the company also acknowledged that drivers on tight deadlines need breaks.

“At the end of the day, there is no question that the optimization of service, cutting back schedules and a lack of new transit funding has an impact on the day-to-day working conditions.”

He says the fight going forward is for decent funding for transit to get more buses on the road.

“This is good news for our passengers, in terms of our dispute. But at the end of the day, I think everyone agrees that the system is strained to the max, and that we need new buses on the road, and we needed them yesterday.”

The new bus driver’s contract will be good until 2019.