HALIFAX -- The president of the union that represents Halifax Transit drivers is worried that exempting bus services from the social gathering and physical distancing rules is "creating an unsafe situation for the public and the drivers."
"We are seeing buses fully loaded with passengers forced to sit side by side, without any physical distancing at all," says Kenny Wilson, president of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), Local 508. "People will get sick. This level of bus loading will not flatten the curve."
In a news release, the ATU said they wanted Halifax to do more to protect drivers and the public, like other jurisdictions such as Moncton and Saint John. The biggest issue is the number of people allowed on a bus.
As a solution, the ATU is urging that only essential workers be allowed to travel by bus during the COVID-19 outbreak.
They asked for the city to grant a 24-hour pause in service while these issues are sorted out.
