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The deal was made two weeks after Coast Mountain Bus Company workers agreed to a contract at the very last minute, averting a planned strike for the morning of Nov. 27.

Kevin Desmond, the transit authority’s CEO, had warned on Monday that a shutdown will be “extremely disruptive,” and TransLink would have had limited options to help SkyTrain riders.

Coast Mountain Bus Service is unable to beef up bus service or set up bus bridges between SkyTrain stations because of labour laws and operational constraints. TransLink also does not have the capacity to add more trains to the West Coast Express, a commuter rail line that shuttles passengers between Mission and Vancouver.

TransLink estimated about 15,000 more vehicles would have been on the road for rush hour Tuesday morning should SkyTrain service have come to a halt, putting more pressure on roads, as well as leading to overcrowding on buses, the Canada Line and West Coast Express.

SkyTrain workers had been without a contract since the end of August. Some of the issues include staffing levels, wages, forced overtime and sick-leave policies.

Transit revenue and ridership have been affected by the threat of the strike, as well as by the recent job action by bus drivers and maintenance workers, as transit users shifted their habits to avoid uncertainty or unreliable service.

“Even last week after the bus strike was averted, we’ve seen less ridership than we would expect and that means less fare-box revenue,” Desmond said.

In that case, Unifor and Coast Mountain Bus Company reached an agreement past midnight, mere hours before a scheduled three-day bus shutdown.

Here’s what happened:

• CUPE 7000, which represents 900 SkyTrain workers, and B.C. Rapid Transit Company, which employs the workers, have spent more than 40 days bargaining for a new collective agreement. Their most recent agreement expired on Aug. 31.

• The two sides also went through four days of mediation last week but no progress was made.

• CUPE 7000 issued 72-hour strike notice on Friday, which means its members were prepared to walk off the job following the end of the notice period.

• A three-day full withdrawal of SkyTrain services was scheduled to begin Tuesday at 5 a.m. unless a deal was reached. A settlement was reached shortly before 5 a.m. and service resumed at 5 a.m.