New operator should be considered when Kelowna Transit contract expires next year: RDCO chair

Photo: Wayne Moore

Transit workers ditched their uniform for t-shirts during the first phase of job action Friday.

The chair of the Regional District of Central Okanagan says BC Transit needs to put operation of the Kelowna Regional Transit system up for bid when the current contract expires.

The nine year operational contract between the transit authority and First Transit expires March 31, 2023. Terms of the agreement gives BC Transit the option to extend the deal to a maximum of 15 years.

Exercising that option is something RDCO chair Loyal Wooldridge is not on board with.

"I think I would speak for all the leaders regionally the we are not in favour of a rollover agreement with First Transit," said Wooldridge.

"We would look for BC Transit to go out to (tender) at the end of the contract, because this has been ongoing."

Wooldridge was referring to labour strife that has plagued the transit system in recent years.

Unionized workers began job action against First Transit to back contract demands Friday. The job action comes six years after the union hit the picket lines for 13 days back in November of 2016.

It also comes 10 days after transit workers in the North Okanagan and Shuswap also issued strike notice.

First Transit operates the transit systems in both the central and north Okanagan.

While Wooldridge believes BC Transit should open up the process to other potential operators once the current agreement expires, he says it would also make sense if they took over operation of the system as they do in Victoria.

"It would make sense to not deal with a third party," stated Wooldridge.

"At the end of the day, it would depend on what level of service they could offer the region, but I don't think any option is off the table.

"And, if it could offer more stability to our levels of service and not have the friction of having to go to these negotiation so frequently, I think that would be an option."

He says it would make sense to have the service delivered directly by eliminating the middle man, but added he doesn't want to presuppose any outcome.

Wooldridge says it is also frustrating that regional governments are not represented at the table when new operating agreements that affect the region are being negotiated.

"That is another request we are making is for our administration to have a seat at the table during those negotiations because all we can do right now is to encourage BC Transit to come to a resolution, but of course that leaves our residents both locally and regionally at risk of a reduced or a lack of service."

As for the current job action, Wooldridge says residents who rely on transit to get around don't necessarily care who is responsible, they just want uninterrupted service they can rely on.

"It's frustrating because we end up wearing the decisions as well as the organizations that are actually tasked with coming to an agreement.

BC Transit declined to comment saying it would be inappropriate to do so during active negotiations between First Transit and its unionized employees.