Schedules to blame for bus cancellations: transit union president
Posted Aug 8, 2022 09:30:00 PM.
The president of Ottawa's transit union said drivers' schedules are to blame for the hundreds of bus cancellations OC Transpo riders have been experiencing over the past week.
OC Transpo stated that an increase in the number of illnesses and summer vacations are impacting the hundreds of cancellations the city's transit services have been experiencing but Clint Crabtree, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279, said the issue lies with the scheduling of drivers.
“You don't put everybody off on vacation in one period like the summer for example, it's spread out throughout the year,” he said. “So to say it's because of vacations, is an absolute lie.”
Crabtree said there's simply more work for drivers right now, and OC Transpo was not prepared for a new labour code rule that requires bus drivers to take a 30 minute break after five hours of work.
He added that union members are feeling the brunt of riders' frustrations.
“People expect a reliable transit service in the city,” he said. “And they take it out on the operators who drive the buses because they are the first people they see everyday.”
Laura Shantz, a board member for the Ottawa Transit Riders and candidate for city council in Rideau-Vanier, told The Sam Laprade Show on Tuesday, Aug. 9 that transit woes across the city are making it difficult for people who rely on OC Transpo to get around.
“Right now, it's a system people don't feel confident in taking,” she said.
Listen to the full interview with Laura Shantz below:
