HALIFAX – Halifax Transit has no plans to put winter tires on its fleet of buses despite a renewed call by the drivers’ union to get them.
Recent storms over the past week have resulted in buses stuck in the snow and nearly all routes put onto a snow plan.
Shane O’Leary, vice-president of ATU local 508, says he doesn’t understand why the city won’t consider winter tires.
“As a Nova Scotian, I put my winter tires on in October and usually take them off in March because I know it’s not safe to drive my vehicle without winter tires,” he said. “Why should I drive a vehicle that carries cargo such as passengers without winter tires?”
During Halifax Transit’s budget presentation on Wednesday, director Eddie Robar told councillors winter tires are simply unnecessary and that the present aggressive all-season tires are in line with the transit industry.
“It’s almost a winter tire if you look at it,” he said.
Robar told reporters afterwards that implementing snow tires would not make a difference.
“You can only brake so fast in any vehicle that you have. So the difference in snow tire or the ones that we run are insignificant in the size and weight of the vehicle,” he said.
The union disagrees that the current tires are sufficient.
“The city saves money by not replacing those tires until they’re worn down to the bare minimum. And they’re running a business they want to save money but we can’t put a price on safety.”
The city doesn’t have an estimate on how much it would cost to put winter tires on its fleet. However, the current budget for tires is $805,000.
Both Robar and O’Leary said there are a few municipalities that use winter tires, including Victoria, B.C.
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