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The issue of public transit challenged city council the most in its 2012-16 term.

Residents who use transit and want it improved formed Bus Riders of Saskatoon in the fall of 2014. We want to live in a city where using public transit is easy. It should be a viable transportation choice for all, and a basic right of residency. Bus ridership should be accessible, effective and reliable, and Saskatoon has a long way to go to achieve this mission.

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Therefore, transit should be a focus in this election.

In the lead-up to the formation of our advocacy group, the transit system was in major disarray. After failing to return to regular service at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year due to a shortage of mechanics, years of purchasing used buses and the resulting lack of vehicles in good repair to put on the road, the city locked out transit employees a few weeks later.

Tens of thousands of citizens who depend on transit directly and indirectly had their mobility disrupted for over a month as negotiations failed. Transit workers are still without a contract, and ridership has not recovered from its post-lockout drop. Sadly, today, riders face the same uncertainty while the city and its transit union battle over pensions.