Bus riders in the Cowichan Valley will need to find alternatives beginning this weekend.
BC Transit says a labour dispute between Unifor locals 114 and 333 and Transdev Canada is forcing it to suspend service in the Cowichan Valley Regional Transit System as of Saturday morning.
For handyDART users, the service is deemed essential for those with appointments related to renal dialysis, cancer treatment and multiple sclerosis and will operate, but other pre-booked trips will be notified of cancellation.
BC Transit says the express services from Duncan to Victoria and from Shawnigan Lake to Victoria are both affected.
“Service will also be suspended for the Route 66 CVX Cowichan-Victoria Express and Route 99 SVX Shawnigan Lake-Victoria Express that provide interregional service between the Cowichan Valley and Victoria.”
The NCX 70 Nanaimo to Cowichan Express is not affected, but BC Transit warns riders on the Nanaimo to Duncan express service there will be no local buses connecting with NCX 70 drop off locations, and no transit to and from Victoria.
In mid-January, Unifor warned that if a deal was not reached by the last bus on Friday, February 7, “then there will be a full work stoppage effective Saturday, February 8.”
According to Unifor, the outstanding issues include wages, pensions and working conditions, particularly surrounding breaks and appropriate washroom facilities for operators.
The union says there are 44 conventional bus drivers and maintenance workers represented by Local 114 and eight HandyDART operators represented by Local 333.
BC Transit is responsible for transit services outside of Greater Vancouver and has contracts with private operating companies to deliver transit services.
