Snow-stranded Metro Van bus drivers had to walk 5 km to get home: Unifor

"Tragic": Unifor says snow-stranded Metro Vancouver bus drivers had to walk 5 km to get home

Abandoned buses in New West (Amir Ali/Daily Hive)

The union representing Metro Vancouver bus drivers said some members had to walk home after their vehicles were stranded.

Two days after the crippling Metro Vancouver snowstorm, blame is still being flung like snowballs in a snowball fight.

Now, the drivers union is blaming municipalities for the lack of preparedness.

We spoke to Balbir Mann, the president of Unifor Local 111, who says that cities knew of the potential impacts of the snow two to three days in advance and didn’t do enough to get ready.

“I don’t think they planned well,” Mann told Daily Hive Urbanized.

“It was very tragic.”

You might also like:

Regardless of where you’re located in Metro Vancouver, you likely saw a bus or two stranded at the side of the road. Behind all of these buses was a story, which according to Mann, includes stories of drivers being stranded for hours without washrooms or breaks.

“There was no solution spread,” Mann continued.

“I did not see salt, no sand, nothing.”

On top of that, Mann said in some cases, Metro Vancouver bus drivers had to walk far distances to get home.

“They were told, you know, there’s nobody available to get to you, just leave the bus, go home, or go back to the yard, so they had to walk like four or five kilometres.”

Yesterday, the BC Ministry of Transportation suggested a part of the reason why things got so hectic on the roads was that people left work early to avoid traffic. This was a statement that Mann disagreed with, pointing again to the lack of preparation.

Mann also said that at least the bus routes should have been cleaned.

In terms of equipment, Mann told Daily Hive Urbanized that all buses are equipped with mud and snow tires.

He’s hoping things go more smoothly tomorrow, as more snow could hit the region.

You might also like: