B.C. Transit is continuing to play catch-up with bus maintenance following three-month long job action by the Canadian Auto Workers Local 333, but as it attempts to get back to business as usual, ridership numbers are dropping.

B次元官网网址�(Monday we had) 36 cancelled runs,B次元官网网址� said B.C. Transit corporate spokesperson Meribeth Burton. B次元官网网址淲e have about 3,200 trips a day Monday to Friday, so one per cent cancelled isnB次元官网网址檛 great but itB次元官网网址檚 better than we have been providing.B次元官网网址�

B.C. Transit has been cancelling runs on some of its higher frequency routes in an attempt to provide maintenance to the 45 to 50 buses Burton said are parked at this time.

B次元官网网址淚 think we were just in survival mode for the three months of the job action,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址�(The buses we have parked) require eight or more hours of repair on them.B次元官网网址�

The Canadian Auto Workers have asked B.C. Transit to keep the work in-house and they are posting between 60 and 70 hours of overtime in each garage every day to get the system running normally as quickly as possible.

B次元官网网址淚f it wasnB次元官网网址檛 for the job action our workers would have done the work already,B次元官网网址� said Canadian Auto Workers Union Local 333 president Ben Williams. B次元官网网址淎t B.C. Transit we obviously perform all of the maintenance on the vehicles for Greater Victoria and thatB次元官网网址檚 how we want it to stay.B次元官网网址�

According to Williams there has been talk from B.C. Transit of contracting out the work but union members are working long hours to keep the work in house.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 their work and nobody wants to see their work taken elsewhere,B次元官网网址� Williams said.

Contributing to the long work hours and backlog of maintenance is an overall shortage in skilled trades people in the industry.

B次元官网网址淭here is a huge shortage in skilled trades especially with the mechanics side of things,B次元官网网址� said Williams. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 extremely difficult to attract these people and the wages B.C. Transit is paying arenB次元官网网址檛 cutting it, making it even harder to obtain and retain staff.B次元官网网址�

But as Transit moves forward with maintenance, riders are waiting for buses that have been cancelled or arrive already full.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 one of those riders,B次元官网网址� Burton said. B次元官网网址淚 can completely empathize. On Friday, I was waiting to go to work with my four-year-old and we were out in the cold waiting for 10 minutes, with more people than weB次元官网网址檝e ever seen at that stop, because a trip was cancelled.B次元官网网址�

And Burton isnB次元官网网址檛 the only transit user who has seen the change in service. Christine Comrie, who often uses transit daily, said she has noticed the cancellations since the strike ended.

B次元官网网址淚 find it frustrating not to have a bus come when youB次元官网网址檙e at the stop waiting for over 20 minutes, especially when you have to make it to work on time,B次元官网网址� Comrie said.

In an attempt to keep from inconveniencing rural riders, Transit is cancelling runs on routes with frequent service. Riders who often see a bus come every 10 minutes on major routes, may be waiting 20 because of cancelled runs.

As runs have been cancelled, ridership numbers have dropped B次元官网网址� something Burton said is cause for concern.

B次元官网网址淟ast year we had record ridership and I think we were as excited as we could be as a crown corporation. WeB次元官网网址檝e seen any kind of drop is unacceptable,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淎nytime you give people the opportunity to consider alternative modes of transportation, itB次元官网网址檚 a slippery slope and one we donB次元官网网址檛 want to go down. ThatB次元官网网址檚 why weB次元官网网址檙e working as hard as we can to get service back up.B次元官网网址�

Though some riders have the option of using transportation alternatives, people like Comrie rely on transit as one of their primary sources of transportation.

B次元官网网址淔or someone in my income bracket, I canB次元官网网址檛 afford a vehicle,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 have to have faith the transit authorities will provide the services we come to expect and depend on.B次元官网网址�

Burton said the garages, logistics, the depot and operations are working together to get the system running as smoothly as possible, however itB次元官网网址檚 hard to say when it will be back to service as usual.

B次元官网网址淚 think every day we watch the numbers again,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 easy to catch up on the weekends when weB次元官网网址檙e putting in fewer service hours. But itB次元官网网址檚 not just that we have a backlog, itB次元官网网址檚 every single day there are upwards of 300 buses in our fleet that continually need maintenance. ItB次元官网网址檚 a floating target.B次元官网网址�