Unionized bus drivers are holding a meeting Saturday, Nov. 23 in Coquitlam to discuss issues with HandyDart, the door to door shared ride service for elderly seniors and people with physical limitations.
Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union local 1724 will be talking about TransLink's pilot program to use cabs on some inefficient routes instead of HandyDart buses. Those routes are long hauls in New Westminster, Vancouver, White Rock and Surrey) where only a few customers may be using the service and taxis are considered more efficient.
But the union says the switch has resulted in fewer jobs while HandyDart service continues to be stretched thin. The meeting is a chance for people to discuss their concerns, said Steve Campbell, a HandyDart driver and member of the union's political action committee."It's a place for people to vent."
Politicians and user groups have been invited to the meeting, as well as union president Bob Chitrenky.
A TransLink spokesman said the switch to cabs on some underutilized routes will enable the transportation authority to serve more customers. In April, TransLink moved to reduce HandyDart service by 10,000 hours in favour of taxi subsidies to save money and allow more trips with the same outlay of cash because buses aren't always full. According to a backgrounder, taxis are already used for more than 20,000 HandyDart trips a year and the pilot is expected enable HandyDart to provide 7,000 more trips in a year.
But the union says with the heavy demand for service, it doesn't make sense to lay off drivers, which occurred when the pilot began, according to Campbell, with full-time posts returning to casual. "People are looking for buses and there's just not enough on the road," Campbell added.
The meeting will be held at Coquitlam's Dogwood Pavilion on Saturday, Nov. 23 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
