Coast Mountain’s plan to go on a holiday schedule during Christmas week this year shows how out of touch they are with the lives of their customers.
There will be fewer buses travelling around the Lower Mainland during the entire week of Christmas, as Coast Mountain Bus Company tries something new this holiday season.
The usual Christmas Day schedule will remain the same but on Monday, December 24, plus the Thursday and Friday following Boxing Day (December 27th and 28th), buses will be running on a Saturday schedule. Full story at News 1130.
I guess all the Coast Mountain execs will be taking that week off, unlike 95% of the rest of the world who will be working.
By putting the entire week on holiday bus schedules, Coast Mountain is assuring riders there will be long lines and long waits for public transit. We should be encouraged to use transit to do our post-Christmas sale shopping, but the people who run our public transit clearly have decided we should all get in our cars and jam up city streets even more.
Bus drivers have reason to be concerned that they’ll face the wrath of frustrated consumers. Instead, you should be voicing your concern to the people who run Coast Mountain.
You can find them here:
Customer Relations representatives are available to speak with you from 8:00am to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday at 604-953-3040. You may also reach us by custrel@translink.bc.ca or by fax at 604-953-3663. Head office: 1600 – 4720 Kingsway Burnaby, British Columbia
Canada V5H 4N2 Telephone: (604) 453-4500
Robert,
Thanks for posting this. I have started to spread the news on my own blog and elsewhere.
The Subject of my email to Translink is: Why are you reducing service on the busiest days of the year?
We shall see how this goes. Maybe they will reverse their decision.
Al
Just an update for you.
We the drivers were against this from the beginning. Our union immediatly challenged this decision and put it to arbitration. The result is a good one. The holiday week has been canceled and should not rear its ugly head for the rest of our contract. This will probably become a heated issue during our next contract talks in 2010.
Just remember, they did NOT reverse their decision, they were denied from enforcing it. We. the drivers, and our union CAW111 had this thrown out.