After a historically long strike, BC Transit is set to resume Cowichan's local and commuter bus services on Oct. 6.
Transit officials must first inspect and road-test the buses, as well as refresh driver training before the routes can resume.
"This is the standard procedure when resuming operations after an extended period of time away from day-to-day service," said BC Transit in an Oct. 1 announcement.
"Once service resumes, BC Transit acknowledges 'temporary challenges' and anticipates some trip cancellations will occur.
"Service impacts will be communicated to customers through customer alerts as soon as trip cancellations are confirmed," said the announcement. "We recognize the frustration this may cause and appreciate the ongoing patience of our customers as service resumes."
To thank riders, the Cowichan Valley Regional District is offering a "return to service discount" on several Umo fare products and 10-ticket handyDART passes, available through the end of the month.
Half-price discounts affect 30-day passes for both local and inter-regional routes as well as the Cowichan-Victoria and Shawnigan Lake-Victoria commuter.
More than 50 Cowichan bus drivers and other maintenance personnel represented by Unifor Local 114 and Local 333, went on strike on Feb. 8 of this year, and only came to an agreement with operator Transdev on Sept. 18, after almost eight months on the picket lines. The deal came after veteran labour mediator Vince Ready was appointed by the province to resolve the strike, which was the longest transit strike in B.C. history.
The strike left many bus users stranded, unable to get to jobs, appointments and recreational activities.
HandyDART service for disabled riders resumed on Sept. 29.
