Watch above: City of Saskatoon approves a refund plan for transit riders
SASKATOON – Users of Saskatoon Transit who bought a bus pass for September will be getting a refund.
City council approved a full-month refund at a special meeting Friday morning.
FULL COVERAGE: Saskatoon Transit lockout
The move will allow roughly 27,000 people including monthly pass, UPass and EcoPass holders to receive a full one-month extension or a refund on a cash-card or by cheque.
A credit on a utility bill account will also be offered via a mail-in option that will also reimburse customers for postage fees.
“Right from the start of the lockout we have been talking about offering compensation for our customers whose daily routines have been greatly disrupted without Transit service,” said Catherine Gryba, general manager of corporate performance, in a release.
Refunds will be available starting next week at a number of locations including City Hall, the transit customer service centre, six leisure centres and at a mobile refund centre.
LATEST: Negotiations between city and transit union break down, again
Council also heard the city has spent $101,000 on advertising since the dispute started and $20,000 will be spent to advertise the pass refund.
Another $11,000 was spent in September on a third-party call centre for customer service. That service will continue in October.
“We anticipate increased call volumes around the refund plan. So we will continue to use the third party call centre to assist our customers,” said Gryba.
Councillors were also informed that with the transit lockout, there is approximately $37,300 of net operating costs that aren’t being incurred.
The city locked out approximately 330 members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 615 on Sept. 20 after the two sides were unable to negotiate a new contract.
The parties resumed talks on Wednesday but those broke down one day later.
At issue are the pension plan and wages.
No new talks are scheduled.
Comments