Winter tires on TransLink buses? Don't count on it

Bus drivers are speaking out about the terrible road conditions that put them in danger during this week’s snowstorm.

“I think municipalities have failed. They knew about the storm (that) was coming,” said Balbir Mann, president of Unifor Local 111, the bus drivers' union.

“There should have been sand out on the streets, salt. They have special chemicals they use now that’s very effective, but I don’t think it was done in a timely manner,” he continued.

Road conditions were rough this week, with images circulating of cars and buses crashing into each other in Surrey.

Many commuters across Metro Vancouver were left feeling frustrated as they were trapped in buses for hours, struggling to get home.

Bus drivers don’t want to see Tuesday's chaos repeated.

A major question on people's minds is winter tires. Will we see them installed on TransLink buses? Likely not.

In a statement to CTV News, TransLink said all its buses "are equipped with three-peak mountain snowflake tires for winter weather. These tires have been recommended to us by Michelin as the best tires for typical Metro Vancouver winter weather."

“These tires well exceed B.C. regulations for operating in winter conditions,” the statement continued.

While these "all-season" tires are tested for performance in snow, they are not the same as winter tires.

“I’ve seen many storms myself," Mann said. "Are we safe in these tires? Yes, we are. But we drive to the conditions of the road. We never had winter socks before, now we do."

The socks are being used for specific buses that drive up hilly areas with snow buildup, and are not effective on roads without snow, according to TransLink.

“Tire socks are used on specific routes that meet these conditions, such as Burnaby Mountain, UBC, and certain areas on the North Shore,” the transit provider said in its statement.

“Most of the delays to bus service on Tuesday evening were caused by buses stuck in traffic due to gridlock throughout Metro Vancouver.”