HandyDART riders brace for disruption with strike set to begin

Unionized HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver have made it official, their strike will begin on Tuesday.

The union has handed in 72-hour strike notice to Transdev – the French company Translink contracts to operate the buses some seniors and people with disabilities use to get around the region.

“If you’re counting on HandyDART for Tuesday, Sept. 3 and on, make alternative arrangements and hopefully we can get this sorted out as soon as possible,” Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724 President Joe McCann told CTV News on Thursday outside his office in Coquitlam.

The strike has caught some riders, like Sara Metcalf, off guard.

“At the very beginning, I thought it was a big joke. But, in reality, I think it’s not a joke,” Metcalf told CTV News during an interview in North Vancouver, expressing shock the labour dispute has reached this stage.

The announcement of the strike comes after the union rejected the latest offer from the employer.

One of the major sticking points has been wages, with workers pushing for the same rate of pay as HandyDART drivers in the Fraser Valley.

In a news release, Transdev said the offer rejected by the union was comparable.

“This final offer vote rejected by employees represented a 19.2 per cent increase by January 2026, a $1,500 retention bonus in 2025 and a significant compromise on term-length,” the statement read, in part, adding that pension plan contributions and other benefits have also been improved.

"The offer reaches parity with Central Fraser Valley, the union’s request, on a total compensation basis.”

But the union disputes that.

“Our members – we’re looking for wage parity,” McCann said. “Their offer doesn’t even start until July. Our contract ends in January, so there’s no raise absolutely at all between January and July.”

“We’ve indicated to the employer that we’re ready, willing and able to meet ASAP,” John Callahan, international vice-president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, told CTV News in an interview Thursday. “We’ve indicated we’ll meet today, tomorrow, whenever, but unfortunately the employer’s earliest date that they’ve proposed is Sept. 12. We’d like to meet earlier to put an end to this.”

The situation means riders like Metcalf will likely see their lives disrupted next week – and possibly beyond unless they can find a different way to get to jobs or appointments.

“I’m going to have let my boss know that I’m not going to be available,” she said, noting that the strike will have an impact above and beyond the individual riders who use it.

While riders like Metcalf will be left to figure out their own way around on Tuesday – HandyDART will continue to provide essential medical rides for those with conditions including cancer and multiple sclerosis.