The SeaBus departs North Vancouver. File photo by Cindy Goodman/North Shore News
TransLink has confirmed that 10 SeaBus sailings will be cancelled tomorrow as a result of the transit strike issued by Unifor, the union representing bus operators and transit maintenance workers.
As part of the job action, the following 10 sailings will be cancelled on Nov. 23 in the morning and the afternoon:
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- The 6:47pm, 7:17pm, 7:47pm, 8:17pm, and 8:47pm sailings from Lonsdale Quay will be cancelled
- The 7:01pm, 7:31pm, 8:01pm, 8:31pm, and 9:01pm sailings from Waterfront will be cancelled.
TransLink has been scaling back sailings on the busy Waterfront to Lonsdale Quay connector since Friday, Nov. 1, when Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) operators and maintenance workers represented by Unifor began job action.
Ben Murphy, Senior Media Relations Officer, TransLink, told Vancouver Is Awesome in an email that the SeaBus isn’t permitted to sail without a minimum number of crew on board as required by Transport Canada. Since there is a shortage of skilled workers who can operate the SeaBus, the transit authority knows in advance of how many sailings will be cancelled. If someone is sick or on vacation, it relies on ‘flexible shifts who can cover absences.’
On Friday, Nov. 22, the transit authority noted that, "Due to job action, Customers may experience reduced frequency on some bus routes today." As a result, it has listed hundreds of cancellations in its Transit Alerts page. However, the SeaBus was not affected.
The initial phase of the strike action began on Nov. 1 at 8 a.m., with operators not wearing their CMBC uniforms and maintenance workers not doing overtime.
Commuters can sign-up for Transit Alerts or follow @TransLink on Twitter for updates.
