Unhoused people impacted by Metro Van transit strike

Unhoused people in Metro Vancouver have lost one of their few transportation options for getting to vital appointments, a shelter worker says, due to the ongoing transit strike.

Andy Bennington, coordinator at the Hyland House shelter in Surrey, says due to their socioeconomic status, unhoused people across the region often rely heavily on transit as an affordable way of getting around.

“It’s pretty well their only option. It’s either that, walking, or the bike,” he said.

“A lot of them have pretty severe mobility limitations because they don’t have the same access to physio and chiro, and a lot of people are bent over walkers or in wheelchairs.”

However, due to the transit strike that came into effect Monday morning at 3 a.m., the next 48 hours are uncertain for unhoused people needing to get to an appointment or travel to seek help.

Additionally, Bennington says a lot of his fellow staff and volunteers at the shelter are having to dish out extra money to get to work via Uber on Monday.

“That’s a lot of money, especially in current times,” he said.

Between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Monday morning, the number of active Uber drivers increased by more than 70 per cent compared to the same time last week, the company told The Leader Spirit. Uber says it has capped its surge pricing and is offering additional incentives to drivers to encourage them to complete more trips during the strike.

But for people staying at Hyland House, Bennington says getting around via Uber isn’t necessarily within their price range.

He adds the people he works with are already dealing with a bunch of obstacles in their life, and not being able to use transit has just added to a list of barriers.

“They have enough things to deal with in their life, so (not) being able to transit to appointments… and get help, this is just another road block in their journey.”

As of Monday, the job action is in place until Wednesday and no announcement has been made to get back to the negotiating table.

-With files from Anthony Atanasov