HALIFAX – The first transit strike in Halifax since 1998 left thousands of people in the city trying to find alternate means of transportation Thursday as commuters joined hastily organized carpools or simply walked to work and school.
The city says about 96,000 people a day use its buses and ferries.
On Twitter, commuters said downtown parking lots were filling up more quickly than on a normal weekday morning and local radio reports indicated traffic was heavier during the morning rush hour on the MacDonald Bridge that crosses the harbour to the city’s downtown.
But for others, the strike was more than an inconvenience. Groups representing students and people with disabilities expressed frustration over the failed contract negotiations, saying the strike would be particularly difficult for those on fixed incomes.
“A scooter and a wheelchair cannot easily be taken apart and put in a car or a cab,” said Darrell Robar, manager of peer support for the Canadian Paraplegic Association of Nova Scotia.
The strike means Metro Transit’s Access-A-Bus service for those people with mobility issues isn’t available for work, daily errands, social activities and appointments.
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“My fear is we’re going to see persons with disabilities face a lot of undue hardship financially,” said Robar.
The city promoted a ride-matching system on its website to help organize carpools, and a bus service that gave rides to dialysis patients was being maintained.
Students at Mount Saint Vincent University took to Twitter in hopes of finding rides to the suburban campus about seven kilometres from downtown Halifax.
Daniel McKenna, president of the student union, said a number of students who live off campus and outside of the city are upset by the strike.
“We’re such a commuter school,” he said. “It really, really puts us in a difficult situation.”
Halifax police said they arrested a man after he allegedly drove his car slowly through a picket line in a bus lane, striking two people, who were not seriously hurt. The man faces a charge of assault with a weapon and was issued a ticket for failing to remain at the scene of an accident.
Ken Wilson of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 508 said the city made a last-minute offer around midnight, but didn’t address about 70 outstanding issues.
“We understand the importance of public transportation,” he said.
“It’s blatantly obvious that the mayor and the 23 councillors do not understand the importance. If they did, they would have kept us at the table.”
A statement from the city said its bargaining team called union officials before the strike started with two offers dealing with shift scheduling and a wage increase for Metro Transit’s 750 employees.
Mayor Peter Kelly said he was disappointed the union didn’t take the offers to its members for a vote.
“(The city’s) bargaining team tried hard to get a deal that would avoid a work stoppage,” he said in a statement.
Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter declined comment when asked if the city’s bus service should be declared an essential service.
Managers in the provincial government have been asked to show some flexibility on work schedules during the strike.
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