Vancouver transit strike forces folks to decide on: Pay extra or do not go

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Scott McHaffie and a pal from Brazil arrived at Lonsdale Quay to take the SeaBus throughout Burrard Inlet solely to search out 0:00 displaying on the clock to the following crusing and a fence blocking the doorway.

In contrast to at Waterfront Station’s entrance to the SeaBus terminal, there was no signal explaining why there was no service Monday.

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“We simply confirmed up this morning at 10 a.m. and have been shocked,” McHaffie mentioned. “Costs for (ride-hail companies) are costly, public transport clearly makes a visit extra inexpensive and it’s extra handy.

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“Taxis are costly, too, and who is aware of once they’ll present up? Uber desires $45 every option to Surrey and again.

“In North Van you don’t need to drive to make it someplace, we depend on the general public transportation system and the SeaBus is so handy.”

Hundreds of individuals have been affected Monday by a 48-hour strike launched by greater than 180 unionized transit supervisors after contract talks with the Coast Mountain Bus Firm broke down over the weekend.

Bus routes operated by Coast Mountain for TransLink stopped operating early Monday and all SeaBus sailings between Vancouver and North Vancouver have been additionally cancelled.

The shutdown of Coast Mountain routes represents 96 per cent of the area’s bus companies.

At Waterfront Station, the place an indication outdoors the closed doorways to the skywalk resulting in the SeaBus explains the shutdown, SkyTrain rider Abigail Turner mentioned she had by no means been on such a crowded practice than earlier that morning throughout her commute from New Westminster to downtown.

“In case you dropped your bag or forgot one thing in your seat, good luck getting again to it contained in the practice,” she mentioned.

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Nuh Topkaraoglu, a contract photographer from Turkey, took the practice from Richmond to Waterfront and was attempting to get to an task on Mountain Freeway in North Van.

“Usually I’d take the No. 211 (Seymour) bus however I simply checked and Lyft goes to value $18.”

It’s not simply folks commuting to work that the bus strike is affecting.

Jorge Correa, visiting from Mexico, needed to make a day journey to Vancouver Island alongside together with his pal Roger Leyton of Chicago, however with no bus to take them to Tsawwassen’s ferry terminal they have been out of luck.

“We now have to depart tonight, that is our final day right here,” Correa mentioned. “We couldn’t go so we’re upset about that.”

Luis Saltos, a scholar companies coordinator at ILAC Worldwide School, mentioned he took the SkyTrain to work Monday, however a number of college students had reached out to him about whether or not the strike meant lessons have been cancelled.

“A few of them need to take buses to get to the SkyTrain and it’s going so as to add like an additional hour to commute,” he mentioned.

— With information from The Canadian Press

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