As Halifax Bus Drivers Burn Out, Trips Are Being Cancelled

HALIFAX — If you rely on public buses to go to work or go shopping around Halifax, you may have been a bit frustrated this summer. As Halifax Transit continues to struggle with a driver shortage, bus trips have been cut.

Shane O’Leary, the president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 508, says 75 trips are now cut due to the staffing shortage.

“We have a sick list that’s way above average right now. We’ve had 40 people resign so far this year,” said O’Leary, adding that 22 people retired this year. “Some people have taken early retirement just to get away.”

“Every division is short: we’re short mechanics, we’re short ferry workers, we’re short Access bus drivers. But the focus is always on the conventional side because that’s what most people see.”

“We have two garages and we’re probably 40 drivers short every day.”

Paul MacKinnon, the CEO of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission, says he is concerned about the issues at Halifax Transit. He notes that many employees of downtown businesses rely on public transit to get to work from other parts of the city.

“In the Fall season we are expected to see more of the workforce return…it’s a big challenge and a big concern for a lot of businesses,” said MacKinnon. “I think the business community downtown is concerned, as I’m sure every business community is, with these challenges with transit.”

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Halifax Regional Municipality said the city is trying to cause as little inconvenience as possible when it chooses which trips to cancel.

“Halifax Transit’s current staffing situation is fluid and is being monitored closely on a regular basis. Decisions related to service cancellations are made incrementally with the goal of minimizing impact on our customers,” the statement reads.

O’Leary says there are many reasons why bus drivers are leaving Halifax Transit in droves. First, he says, new bus drivers are paid far too low. According to the old collective agreement (which is now expired), a driver gets paid $20.88 per hour during their first year on the job. It then goes up to $22.31 after that rookie year. To reach the top pay of $26.61, a driver must have four years of experience.

The union president also says forced overtime during the staff shortage is creating a vicious cycle of quick resignations.

“It’s a perfect storm: when I get out of class and I’m being paid the lowest amount of money, I have to do the most work, the worst work, with the worst vacation and the worst time off. And now get forced on my days off to go to work,” he explains.

O’Leary says drivers can be forced to work up to 96 hours a week. Working so much overtime has caused suffering to their personal lives.

“That forcing clause [in the contract] was intended to cover for emergency situations, on a one-off, rare occasion. Now there are 10, 15, 20 people being forced every day.”

Another major issue that bus drivers face across all cities is verbal and physical assaults from angry passengers.

“I always used to tell people driving the bus is the easy part, dealing with the public is the hard part,” said O’Leary.

“We have coffee thrown at us; we have threats. Two weeks ago we had three female operators within a week who were attacked…it’s almost always over fare disputes.”

O’Leary says not enough is being done to enforce the laws that are supposed to protect bus drivers from harassment and violence. He believes having a transit police force is needed.

“We have road supervisors out there right now who chase us around to make sure we’re not two minutes late, but they don’t care if a passenger throws a coffee at you,” he said.

An HRM spokesperson told Huddle in an email that abuse towards drivers is not tolerated.

“Halifax Transit has zero tolerance for all forms of verbal, physical or sexual harassment, gender-based violence, or any behavior that causes harm to others on our buses and ferries.”

“Buses are equipped with security cameras. Depending on the situation, operators can call for support from mobile supervisors, or Halifax Regional Police as required.”

The spokesperson also noted that Halifax Transit is actively recruiting new drivers to fill the staffing void. They already have a class being trained as we speak. But O’Leary says Halifax Transit needs to change the pay and working environment in order to retain employees.

“Doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same results is the definition of insanity.”

Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].