File photo of YRT buses. CITYNEWS
There were three pieces of good news for commuters Thursday as Veolia Transportation workers voted in favour of accepting a contract offer, Miller Transit and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1587 reached a tentative deal, and York Regional Council announced that TOK Transit Ltd. will be taking over from First Canada.
Members of ATU Local 113 and Viva bus operator Veolia Transportation agreed on a new four-year contract on Tuesday, and on Thursday, 77 per cent of striking workers voted in favour of the offer. The new deal includes a wage increase and improved health and sick benefits.
Buses are expected to roll out in York Region again by the first weekend of February.
Workers will vote on the tentative agreement between Miller Transit and Local 1587 on Saturday. The terms of the agreement are not yet known. Miller Transit is responsible for 51 routes in southeastern York Region, which are not yet running.
"After a three-month strike and a great deal of negotiations, we have reached a tentative agreement that’s a reasonable offer to our members, and we’ll be recommending it for acceptance," ATU Local 1587 president Ray Doyle told CityNews.ca
First Canada's deal to provide service on 29 YRT/Viva routes in the region was terminated on Jan. 16. Now that TOK has taken over, Route 98 and Route 55 will begin service on Feb. 4, and additional routes will be phased in over the following weeks.
York Region chairman Bill Fisch said the transit authority will be offering riders a month of free service for riders "to recognize the hardship riders have faced over this lengthy dispute. We are on our way to a full service restoration in York Region.”
Bus drivers of First Canada and two other operators (Miller Transit and York BRT Services) had been on strike since Oct. 24, 2011, affecting about 44,000 riders.
On Thursday, council announced it had signed a four-year, $46-million contract, with TOK.
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