Talks fail to avert Vancouver transit strike, halting bus and SeaBus service

Metro Vancouver has been left without most bus services and SeaBus after weekend talks between transit supervisors and the Coast Mountain Bus Company broke down without a deal.

Metro Vancouver has been left without most bus services and SeaBus after weekend talks between transit supervisors and the Coast Mountain Bus Company broke down without a deal.

TransLink says bus routes operated by Coast Mountain stopped running at 1 a.m. and SeaBus sailings for the morning have also been cancelled.

The SkyTrain, West Coast Express, HandyDART and a handful of bus routes remain operational, although TransLink warns services will be busier than usual.

The 48-hour shutdown of Coast Mountain routes representing 96 per cent of the region's bus services comes after talks involving a mediator ended without an agreement.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 4500, representing more than 180 supervisors, says pickets are planned at transit centres in Vancouver, Surrey, Richmond, Burnaby and Port Coquitlam, as well as at the SeaBus terminal in North Vancouver.

Both Vancouver International Airport and BC Ferries have warned passengers that transit to and from terminals could be delayed due to the strike action.

“We regret these disruptions and the challenges this will cause for the people we serve every day,” says CUPE 4500 spokesman Liam O'Neill in a statement.