It was learned on August 29th that staff, including drivers, of Handy Dart, a small bus that provides transportation services for people with disabilities and others in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), will go on strike from September 3rd.
Transdev, a French company that operates Handy Dart under a contract with TransLink, which manages and operates public transportation in Metro Vancouver, and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1724, a union representing about 600 workers, had been in Labor negotiations for several months. However, negotiations have been difficult, and since July, the ATU has been protesting by wearing uniforms and refusing to work overtime.
The union had announced that it would strike if a tentative agreement was not reached by August 25, but temporarily avoided the strike after Transdev presented conditions. However, 82% of union members opposed the proposed conditions, saying they were unacceptable.
ATU president Joe McCann said that an agreement was still a long way off. “Essential services” such as transportation for dialysis and cancer treatment will continue during the strike, but trips such as shopping and community centre transport will be cancelled.
According to the union, Handy Dart drivers in Metro Vancouver earn 16% less than drivers who provide similar services in the Fraser Valley and 30% less than drivers of TransLink’s Coast Mountain Bus Company. This has led to high turnover and staff shortages. The union has called for TransLink to intervene, but it is currently reluctant to do so.
TransLink’s contract with Transdev runs until mid-2026. Meanwhile, Transdev says it is offering significant wage increases of between 23% and 32% by January 2027.