WATCH: TransLink is facing criticism once again as transit drivers say a problem with exhaust fumes on a number of community shuttles is making them sick. As John Hua explains, this has been a problem since the shuttles were purchased two years ago.
TransLink drivers say a fleet of community shuttles should not be on the road.
Drivers complain that toxic fumes are leaking into the cabins of 62 Navistar coaches, which is making some people ill. The shuttles were bought in 2013 for $3.8 million.
TransLink admits this is not the first time it’s happened.
“We first became aware of it in May of 2013, so it’s about two-and-a-half years,” said TransLink spokesperson Colleen Brennan. “We did resolve it for a time. It’s come back again so we are looking into it.”
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The bus drivers’ union says the prolonged exposure to the fumes is taking a toll on its members. Unifor Local 111 says 126 members have been affected with 12 claims approved by WorkSafeBC and another six still pending.
“When you have a member or transit worker vomiting as a result of being at work…then that tells us there’s something wrong that needs to be looked at,” said Unifor Local 111 President Nathan Woods.
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TransLink will only pull a third of the buses off the road for further testing, saying the results so far are within WorkSafeBC limits and there is no threat to the public.
“There have been some public complaints,” said Brennan, adding that she is unaware of any reports of passengers being ill.
Whether the solution is a complete engine replacement or repair, TransLink hopes some of the cost will still be covered under warranty, but that remains up in the air.
The problems with the two-year-old buses add to TransLink’s already beleaguered track record, including the ongoing wait for the Compass cards, which critics say fuels the lack of confidence made evident in this year’s transit plebiscite.
-With files from John Hua
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