School bus transportation: Transco strike nears three months

FILE: Snow covered school buses are seen in a lot in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

In addition to the education strike in November and December, some 15,000 Montreal children still have no bus service to school because of a bus drivers' strike.

Launched on Oct. 31 by the union representing 350 Transco bus drivers, the strike has been going on for nearly three months.

The English Montreal and Lester B. Pearson school boards are affected, as well as Centre de services scolaires Marguerite-Bourgeoys, Centre de services scolaires de Montréal and Collège privé Sainte-Anne.

At the heart of the dispute is remuneration.

Quebec has already granted additional financial assistance to school bus companies to help them improve salaries, among other things, but also to compensate for higher rents, increased insurance costs and fleet electrification.

The two parties disagree on how much of this additional assistance from Quebec should be paid to drivers.

Claude Breton, spokesperson for Autobus Transco, reports that the employer is offering a 20 per cent increase in the first year and 33 per cent for the six-year contract.

But Carole Laplante, president of the union, which is part of the CSN-affiliated Fédération des employés de services publics, believes this is insufficient, as Transco granted more to other drivers in other regions.

 - This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 16, 2024.