More Halifax Transit trips are being cancelled as the service continues to grapple with labour shortages.
“The municipality is advising residents that due to current staff availability, Halifax Transit anticipates further conventional bus service will be impacted,” Halifax Regional Municipality said in a release Friday.
“As a result, beginning Tuesday, August 2 and effective until further notice, additional select Halifax Transit trips are being cancelled. This is done to provide more certainty to passengers and allow them to plan.”
A total of 47 trips will be impacted, including 31 trips that were previously cancelled. A full list of affected trips can be found on the Halifax website.
Halifax Transit is running a bus operator recruitment campaign “to increase staffing resources and resume regular operations as soon as possible.”
Drivers burned out: union
Earlier in the week, the president of the union representing transit drivers said bus drivers and ferry operators are overwhelmed and overworked.
Shane O’Leary, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 508, estimated that every morning the service is about 30 to 40 operators short of what is necessary to complete the work.
“Transit is so stressful and I apologize to the public if an operator or a member of the ferry is not what you expected that day, but you don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. You really don’t,” said O’Leary.
“Our operators are out there by choice trying to keep the system running. The ferry guys are out there by choice trying to keep the system running. Trying to work as much as they can. And you know what? That tends to burn people out.”
— with files from Rebecca Lau