On Sept. 20, the City of Saskatoon held true to its word and locked out transit workers at 9 p.m. One group of transit users is doing something about it.

Now nearly 200 members in strength, the Bus Riders of Saskatoon is working to find a solution to the transit crisis.

“We need to be organized and have a voice on behalf of bus riders,” said Tracey Mitchell in an interview with the Sheaf on Sept. 19. Mitchell hatched the idea for the group along with fellow bus user Sarah Binnie.

The group gathered for its first meeting on Sept. 14 in Lower Place Riel at the University of Saskatchewan. The meeting drew between 25 and 30 people.

“We talked about what we wanted to do as a group, what our priorities were, what changes we wanted to see and what we saw as the most effective actions we could take,” Mitchell said.

Frustration for transit users began mounting on Sept. 2 when the City of Saskatoon did not have enough working buses available to run full transit service for the first day of classes due to a backlog of buses needing repair.

“A lot of people have been feeling really frustrated since the changes to routes and a lot of people are finding that routes are totally unreliable [and] that they have no idea when the bus will come,” Mitchell said.

On top of this issue, an engine fire, the theft of a bus by a nine-year-old boy and the cancellation of direct routes for many university and high school students have only added to the unrest of bus users.

On Sept. 18, labour negotiations between the City of Saskatoon and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 615 broke down as the city refused to move on pensions or wages.

The main sticking point between the city and the transit union is changes to the defined benefits pension plan. The city says the pension plan has a $6.7 million deficit and that taxpayers have to pay $90,000 a month to support the plan until the transit union agrees to changes to the terms of its members’ contributions.

Also at issue are wages, with the city offering a 10 per cent increase over four years. ATU 615 president Jim Yakubowski said in an interview with Global News that the proposed increase would keep transit drivers at the bottom of the scale compared to other western Canadian cities. The ATU is instead asking for a 22.5 per cent raise over five years.

In response to the failed talks, the City of Saskatoon issued a lockout notice if an agreement was not reached by 9 p.m. on Sept. 20.

Over 90 per cent of ATU 615 voted to reject the city’s final offer. As a result, the city locked out its transit workers, leaving thousands of bus users scrambling to find alternative transportation.

After the lockout was issued, Saskatoon Mayor Don Atchison expressed his disappointment in a press release.                                   “I had hoped negotiators could hammer out a deal but it wasn’t to be,” Atchison said. “We need a signed contract for the transit workers, for our riders and for the citizens of Saskatoon.”

No talks have been scheduled between the City of Saskatoon and ATU 615. Atchison is hopeful that both sides will return to the table.

On Sept. 23, U of S Students’ Union President Max FineDay said that the USSU has made a decision to withhold payment for its U-PASS until the transit lockout is over.

“Students have been extremely impacted by the transit lockout and in my mind, I cannot ask students to pay for a service that they’re not receiving,” said FineDay in an interview with the Sheaf.

FineDay said the USSU plans to withhold 60 cents per day for each student, which amounts to about $8,900 each day the lockout lasts.

“We’re hoping that doing this will allow the city to get these buses back on the road as soon as possible and stop this extreme disruption,” FineDay said. He is currently looking at ways to return the money to students.

In order to deal with the lockout, the university has opened up extra parking on campus and increased capacity on current campus parking lots. In addition, campus drop-off can now occur directly in front of Place Riel.

The university has also sent out communications to students reminding them of UCommute, a ride matching service available through PAWS. Once enrolled, members can locate fellow commuters based on proximity for car pooling.

Additional bike racks will also be added to central areas on campus.

Bus Riders of Saskatoon has scheduled another meeting for Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. A location has not been decided yet.

“We’re hoping to have a presentation from a city councillor at the next meeting, just so that we can understand more about how the process works,” Mitchell said.

Members of the group have also been taking action individually and posting their stories on the organization’s Facebook page. Starting petitions, calling on city officials, protesting at City Hall, offering rides and contacting news outlets are a few of the things being done by the Bus Riders of Saskatoon.

“I have lost faith in the city of Saskatoon,” said member Jennifer Briere in a Facebook post. “First they strip their citizens of an essential service and call it non-essential, then they pass the buck on responsibility for the lockout.”

Cameron McMillan, another member, said that if the group stays “focused and active, we can achieve the real solution: an overall increase in spending on public transit. The lockout will be difficult, but this may be the perfect opportunity to repair one of our city’s greatest weaknesses.”

Mairi Anderson, a second-year student at the U of S, said in an interview that the lockout has caused students, particularly first year students, unnecessary additional stress.

“It’s a shame that [the lockout] is happening so soon in the school year… a lot of people who take the bus are students and a lot of those students are new to Saskatoon and its transit system,” Anderson said. “Having it happen when students have paid for their U-PASS already kind of sends the message that transit isn’t effective.”

In 2012 the Saskatoon Transit annual report showed that students make up a significant portion of public transit ridership, with 14,780 U-PASS holders accounting for 28 per cent of all rides.

“I have higher expectations for the city,” Anderson said.

Mitchell hopes that the city and ATU 615 can reach an agreement soon, even if it costs citizens of Saskatoon a little extra money.

“Taxpayers really value bus service and that includes drivers getting fair wages,” Mitchell said.