Fewer transit disruptions in Metro Vancouver on Tuesday, says TransLink

Transit in Metro Vancouver is expected to run more smoothly on Tuesday after a 10 per cent drop in service Monday due to bus drivers refusing to work extra hours as part of the ongoing labour dispute.

As of now, TransLink doesn't anticipate there will be any bus or Seabus cancellations tomorrow, but said it will have a more accurate sense of the impacts in the morning.

The union representing bus drivers, mechanics and SeaBus operators, says bus drivers will work normally Tuesday and Thursday, but will refuse overtime hours on Wednesday and Friday of this week.

Monday, TransLink said service would be reduced by between five and 10 per cent, similar to disruptions seen Friday. The operator said buses couldn't run as frequently as scheduled without drivers pulling overtime meaning passengers were left waiting a little longer.

Around 450 TransLink alerts were in effect Monday morning, indicating affected bus service. 

Some hard-hit routes included the busy 99 B-Line along Broadway and buses to Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, BCIT and Capilano University.

Due to union job action, 12 SeaBus sailings were cancelled on Monday. 

• 7:20 a.m. and 9 a.m. from Lonsdale Quay.
• 7:35 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. from Waterfront.
• 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 7:32 p.m. and 8:47 p.m from Lonsdale Quay.
• 4:15 p.m., 6:15 p.m., 7:46 p.m., and 9:01 p.m. from Waterfront.

The agency said Sunday that commuters travelling between the North Shore and the city's downtown core could be more likely to experience delays, but the action, by nature, can be unpredictable.

"Ultimately, this job action is difficult to anticipate," TransLink spokesperson Ben Murphy told CBC's The Early Edition on Monday. "That's sort of how the union has designed this — that's why they've gone with this overtime ban."

Another round of negotiations collapsed last week between the union and Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC), which operates SeaBus and most Lower Mainland buses on behalf of TransLink.

The union said CMBC remains unwilling to discuss wages, a key issue in the dispute, while the company insists its proposal is well above increases offered to other public-sector workers in the province.

Unifor's overtime ban has so far forced the cancellation of dozens of SeaBus sailings and delayed or cancelled numerous bus routes since job action began at the beginning of the month.