Community bus drivers fear for jobs as city mulls shift to high-use routes
A new city push to reallocate buses to high-use routes has Edmonton Transit drivers worried for seniors and new immigrants stuck in the ’burbs.
Edmonton Transit has a second major reallocation scheduled for July 2. It’s also starting to talk about partnerships — subsidizing Uber, taxis or senior-oriented transportation companies — to cover the distance between express routes and front doors.
Community bus drivers worry that means their days are numbered.
“Sure, there’s only five or six people riding that bus, but maybe that’s the only way to get around,” said Denise Meyer, union representative for many of the community bus operators. The 20-year veteran drives routes 304 and 55.
“I don’t know any parent who would be willing to put a nineyear-old child in a ride-share to school,” Meyer said.
The bus drivers know many of their passengers, she said: “For those involved, it’s really emotional.”
Edmonton’s postponed transit strategy is scheduled to go to council committee July 5. But last March, a city official said one element of the strategy will be to explore
I don’t know any parent who would be willing to put a nineyear-old child in a ride-share to school.
private partnerships to give a “dial-a-ride” solution in areas of low ridership.
That could mean subsidizing Uber, taxis or other transportation options, which several North American cities have found to be a cheaper and more flexible option to running near-empty buses.
Even before the transit strategy is approved, Edmonton Transit has been reallocating buses, a normal process they’ve scaled up in recent years. Last September, 50,000 service hours were reallocated from several bus routes. The same thing happens July 2, with the number of community bus shifts dropping to 40 from 63. Six routes are being cut completely.
The community bus drivers can’t simply pick up shifts on the larger buses; many only have a Class 4 driver’s licence and/or don’t have seniority within that group of drivers.
The transit union held a meeting for 50 drivers Tuesday night to address the changes.
“Our operators can provide the best, friendliest and safest service,” said Mark Tetterington, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569. He sees any talk of private partnerships as a threat to public transit, and worries reallocation is already causing gaps in the system. “The safest transportation is a bus,” he said.
But this reallocation effort is also Edmonton Transit’s response to a scathing 2016 audit. The city auditor found at times only 58 per cent of Edmonton buses were arriving on time and performance was getting worse.
By reallocating buses to high-use routes last September, Edmonton Transit saw their on-time arrivals increase to 65 per cent in December 2016, up from 58 per cent in December 2014.
The hours cut from community and other less-use routes in July will be added to overcrowded routes in September. The changes are listed at edmonton.ca/takeETS under Service Update.