Metro Transit resumed its Access-A-Bus service Monday, but not without protest from its striking workers.
Roughly 60 unionized workers staged a symbolic protest preventing the Access-A-Buses from leaving the garage on time. After 10 minutes they parted ways and let the buses through.
"This isn't about inconveniencing the public," says Amalgamated Transit Union president Ken Wilson. "So what we suggested was that if the bus was scheduled to depart at 6 a.m. in the morning, have it here at 10 to six, we'll hold the line and walk back and forth for ten minutes and then open the line and let the bus go at the scheduled departure time."
Metro Transit managers got behind the wheel, paired with security guards in front of the buses and on board.
In total, nine buses left the garage and picked up 20 passengers to take them to medical and specialist appointments.
"It's what's to be expected during a labour dispute, so we had plans in place around delays," says Metro Transit spokesperson Lori Patterson.
"I see it as a bit of a tease," says Darrell Robar of the Canadian Paraplegic Association. "You still see people left without access to jobs or education."
Robar says limited service will help some people with disabilities, but the Access-A-Bus should be deemed an essential service.
"It's still frustrating for people who have very limited mobility and rely on this transit for access to almost everything and they still can't get it," says Robar.
Until today, the only buses leaving the terminal were to take kidney patients to dialysis treatments, but as the strike drags on more buses were added to help the most vulnerable.
Wilson worries the Metro Transit drivers' inexperience could be a liability,
"They've probably had one wheelchair to train on for two days. It's been rushed, it's not right and unsafe," says Wilson.
But Metro Transit says its drivers are licensed above industry standards and received additional safety training late last week.
"Safety is a key concern for us, so we wouldn't have anybody on an Access-A-Bus who wasn't capable of driving the bus," says Patterson.
While some buses may be on the road today, contract talks remain stalled with each side blaming the other for the hold up.
More than 700 Metro Transit workers walked off the job Feb. 2 after negotiations between the city and the union fell through.
Transit workers voted in favour of settling the dispute with binding arbitration but the city rejected the offer, instead suggesting conciliation.
Roughly 96,000 passenger trips were taken daily on Metro Transit buses and ferries before the strike.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl
