Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in others they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since Sept. 3, pausing service for all but essential medical trips for those with appointments for cancer, renal or multiple sclerosis treatments..
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers, but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver rallied outside Pacific Central Station on Tuesday. As Isaac Phan Nay reports, it’s a start to job action that includes cutting service down to only essential rides.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication. The company is based in France.
In a statement issued before the strike started, Transdev said its final offer, which was rejected by employees, represented a 19.2 per cent pay increase by January 2026.
McCann has previously said low wages make it difficult to attract and retain employees, and also called on the employers to address the contracting out of services to private taxi companies.