With no end in sight to the Acadian Lines bus lockout, alternatives to the Orleans Express-owned service are starting to pop up for students.
Mechanics, maintenance workers, customer service representatives and drivers of the bus line in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1229, were locked out on Dec. 2 after the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on a new contract.
Workers have been without a contract since Dec. 31, 2010 and even with a federal mediator involved, there are no further negotiations scheduled between the two sides.
The lockout left some students without a way to get home for Christmas and back to school after the break. The St. Thomas University students’ union chartered a bus to and from Moncton and Amherst, thanks to what STUSU president Mark Livingstone said was a discount from Trius.
Once in Amherst, students could transfer to Acadian Lines buses going to other locations in Nova Scotia, as the bus line isn’t on strike in that province.
While the STUSU charter buses were a temporary solution for stranded students, David Anderson hopes he has a permanent solution.
The president of Advanced Shuttle Services based in Prince Edward Island has applied to New Brunswick’s Energy and Utilities Board to expand his shuttle service to New Brunswick.
Anderson planned to expand the service before the lockout began, he said.
“I was starting to [apply] but then when the [lockout] happened, I went right away and got an application.”
Anderson’s 15-passenger buses now stop at various locations between PEI and Nova Scotia seven days a week. The service is by reservation and Anderson said he designs the route based on where the passengers need to go.
He said he would do the same in a PEI to New Brunswick run.
“We’ll cater the schedule around them.”
Because the service doesn’t deliver freight-like packages, the journey is also faster, Anderson said. For example, he said Acadian Lines service to PEI often takes about six hours because of the number of stops for freight.
“We can do it in four [hours] because we’re more of an express shuttle,” he said. “You’ll get home a lot faster and that’s what we’re offering.”
At the beginning, the service would run from Friday to Monday and students could be picked up right on the university campus.
People have until Feb. 7 to oppose Advanced Shuttle’s application. If there’s no opposition, they’ll receive a license to operate here, Anderson said.
If there is opposition, the shuttle service will be called to a hearing at the end of February to state its case.
The shuttle was denied a license once before in 2004, before Anderson owned the company because it wasn’t deemed a charter service and Acadian Lines, then SMT, argued it was a threat to its business.
“This Board has repeatedly found that it was in the public’s interest to protect the existing scheduled carrier, SMT,” the ruling says.
Even though Acadian Lines would be his main competitor, Anderson said he hopes the service returns.
“I really do feel there’s enough service for two,” he said, adding the two businesses could help one another.
In the meantime, Nathalie Arsenault has designed a RideShare service for students to search for or offer drives throughout the Maritimes.
Arsenault, who now lives in Montreal, came up with the idea when she was living in Cape Breton three years ago.
She said a RideShare service is ideal for students because it’s not designed to make a profit.
“Even when the bus is running, ride sharing is a lot cheaper. The people driving are not wanting to make money. They’re just paying for their gas expenses,” she said.
“It’s going to be a lot cheaper than taking the bus.”
The website, which is integrated with Facebook, allows people to search for rides in any Maritime city. If they’re looking for passengers, they can post their trip, how many free seats they have and their asking price.
If there isn’t someone offering a ride to your location, you can enter your email address to be notified when one is available.
Arsenault envisions an expanded website that will add more safety features so people can get an idea of who they’re driving with and what they’re like, something she said websites like Kijiji don’t offer.
Arsenault’s website is available at Frederictonrideshare.com.
If the Acadian Lines lockout does end, it doesn’t look like it will be by federal intervention.
Federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt, who intervened last year to stop Air Canada flight attendants from pursuing a strike that would have grounded much of the country’s air travel, said the best solution is one Acadian Lines and the workers reach themselves.
“I am disappointed that the parties have so far been unable to reach an agreement which has resulted in a work stoppage,” Raitt said in an email.
“I continue to closely monitor the situation. I encourage both parties to return to the bargaining table and reach new collective agreements as soon as possible.”
