Union blasts Transit Windsor over bus maintenance; city refutes claims

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The union representing Transit Windsor workers warns riders may be left out in the cold this winter amid issues with fleet repair equipment they say could cause a bus shortage — claims the city denies.

The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 616 on Tuesday said only five out of 15 bus repair hoists at the Transit Windsor garage are in service, not enough to repair 117 buses.

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Problems with the hoists, the union said, began two years ago and have not been adequately addressed.

“We had hoped to see improvements throughout the year, but things have progressively worsened,” said Manny Sforza, the union’s international vice-president.

Windsor’s bus service is “now at a critical point where we cannot keep up with maintenance and service requirements,” the union representing nearly 400 full-time operators and mechanics said a written statement.

ATU Local 616 president Dragan Markovic said members of the public who rely on transit “should expect longer wait times in the cold, and should dress for the worst-case scenario.”

The Star was unable to reach outgoing Transit Windsor executive director Tyson Cragg for comment. Cragg has a new job as Lakeshore’s top bureaucrat starting in January.

After the Star sought to speak with another Transit Windsor representative, the city sent out a news release Tuesday afternoon refuting the union’s claims.

The city said it has made “continued investments” in Transit Windsor’s maintenance facilities, including “state-of-the-art mobile hoists and associated lifting devices.”

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The new devices have “resulted in improved efficiency, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness, and have moved Transit Windsor away from reliance on outdated technology to meet the current industry standard of mobile lifts,” the city stated. And the new equipment and processes “have been embraced by the majority of Transit Windsor’s professional maintenance staff.”

The city said 14 repair bays are available for fleet maintenance, and that “passengers will not be stranded in the cold this winter.”

But the union calls the city’s comments “inaccurate and misleading.” While there may be 14 repair bays open, Sforza described them as “merely parking spots” above hoists that may not work. Without the hoists, certain repairs are impossible, he said.

The new portable hoists, Sforza added, can facilitate some repairs, but not all.

“Our mechanics are trained professionals who want to fix the buses and provide appropriate fleet numbers on a daily basis to ensure that the public has the public transit that they deserve in the City of Windsor,” he said. “That is not happening.”

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In November 2022, city council voted against building a new garage for Transit Windsor, which would have cost an estimated $190 million. The existing garage at 3700 North Service Rd. E. opened in 1979 and was designed to accommodate 96 buses and 230 employees, far fewer than the number of buses and employees Transit Windsor has now.

A report to council at the time said the garage is “deficient” when it comes to vehicle servicing and maintenance, space for operations, and staff amenities. It also lacks appropriate accessibility, office space, and employee parking.

Instead of supporting a pricey new garage two years ago, council approved spending $100 million — most of it covered by a federal government grant — for various improvements to Transit Windsor’s fleet, infrastructure, and more.

“Our members are frustrated. Our maintenance people are frustrated,” Sforza told the Star.

“You cannot operate a transit service with the current state of the transit garage.”

According to a service report to a committee of city council last month, ridership increased seven per cent — or 463,368 more trips — in the first nine months of this year compared to the same period in 2023.

As of Sept. 30, two-thirds of Transit Windsor’s primary and secondary routes were “well above” the boarding rate threshold that typically results in overloads and indicates a need for service improvements, the report said.

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