Halifax Transit announced that it will be temporarily suspending service on three bus routes, making schedule adjustments to three routes, and removing trips from 30 routes beginning Feb. 27 because of "staffing issues."

In a recent press release, the organization said that these service reductions are new and replace several of the trips impacted by the service reductions introduced in November 2022. Routes 41, 178 and 179 will have no service; routes 6, 21 and 54 will have schedule adjustments; and 105 trips will be removed from the a number of routes that can be found on their site.

Shane O'Leary, president of Amalgamated Transit Union 508, said while the whole city is experiencing a labor shortage, it is prevalent at Halifax Transit since many people rely on public transportation for their work.

"We've just moved backward by losing 29 full shifts, and over 13 other pieces of work. And Dalhousie is a large part of our university town, and those people come here, most of them needing transit. My daughter takes a bus to the university every morning. And when there are cuts in service, it affects everybody," said O'Leary.

Shane O'Leary, president of Amalgamated Transit Union 508. Photo contributed.

O'Leary said that while people are applying for transit jobs, there are challenges that come with it.

"It's not an easy job," explained O'Leary. "I know a lot of people think transit drivers just sit there. But between dealing with the public and the physical demands of the job, the lack of washroom facilities, the lack of proper diet, the low compensation, when you start as a bus driver and training, you're making $21.55 an hour. And that's $2-$3 below the living wage."

He said working conditions and proper wages are important to retain a job at Halifax Transit, while wages are currently low, and added that the union has been working without a contract for a year and a half, since expiring on Aug. 31, 2021.

"So we're working without a contract trying to get that solved and it's not moving very quickly. We're fourth from the bottom on wages as one of the biggest, fastest-growing cities [in Canada] that leaves something to be desired," said O'Leary.

O'Leary said the issue isn't not having enough staff but that the job often requires a lot of overtime, working during weekends and not much time off to adapt a full work and life balance.

Listen to the full interview below: