On one hand, Translink seems to have little problem with its Transit cops raking up a whopping $1 million to $1.2 million annually in overtime costs.
On the other it says it needs to reduce costs so it goes after some of its most vulnerable users.
Last week in the wake of a shocking finding that saw Transit cops making more than three time s in overtime costs compared to the mammoth Vancouver police department, TransLink decided to cut the TaxiSaver program in Metro Vancouver which will affect seniors and people with disabilities who rely on the service for essential transportation needs.
The TaxiSaver program allows registered HandyDART users to obtain coupons which provide them a 50% discount on taxis.
New Democrat transportation critic Harry Bains raised the issue in the B.C. legislature in response to TransLink’s announcement that it will phase out its TaxiSaver program, which has been in place for more than 20 years.
“The TaxiSaver program and the HandyDART service allow people with disabilities to get around. Even before this announcement, people with disabilities and advocacy groups were on record saying they were experiencing long waits for rides to things like attending medical appointments and fulfilling their daily needs.”
Bains said government must advocate to protect the TaxiSaver program, along with improving the HandyDART service to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable members of our society. He asked the government to take action to ensure people with mobility problems are not prevented from traveling due to cuts to the program.
Katrine Conroy, New Democrat senior’s critic, questioned the government’s decision to allow this valuable program to be scrapped when it means so much to seniors and people with disabilities.
“Minister Lekstrom must take specific action to stop the cuts to TaxiSaver," said Conroy.
We agree.
Policing Transit
Transit Police officers are represented by Local 378 of the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union (COPE). Other unionized police forces have dramatically different contracts that recognize the special circumstances of police work.
• The Transit Police currently employs 167 sworn officers and 67 civilians.
• Officers work 11-hour shifts, four days on followed by four days off, which is standard police scheduling.
• For all regular shifts that fall on a Sunday, officers are paid at a rate of 125 per cent of their regular pay.
• On overtime shifts, referred to as “callout” shifts, officers are paid at 225 per cent of their regular pay after the first nine hours, rising to 300 per cent after 10.5 hours.
• Transit Police officers were paid an average of $6,900 in overtime in 2009, whereas VPD officers received $3,700 in the same period.
• The audit found: “All these unusual clauses embedded in the COPE collective agreement contribute to increase overtime costs and reduce the competitiveness of the Transit Police in terms of cost per officer.
— Source: Operational review of the Transit Police
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