Halifax Transit union asks for snow tires on city buses

The union representing Halifax Transit drivers says snow tires are needed on the city's fleet of buses.

Shane O'Leary is the vice-president of ATU Local 508, which represents about 600 Halifax Transit drivers. He says snow tires on their vehicles would help drivers move around better in bad weather and prevent traffic issues.

When the snow falls in Halifax, often some city buses don't travel their regular route. To avoid hills and problem areas, some routes divert to a snow plan.

"We want an actual winter tire put on the front and rear tire of the buses," O'Leary said. "The front tire has a slotted tire that works kind of like a ski. It doesn't direct the bus very well or grip or bite into the snow."

Conventional buses in Halifax, like in many other cities, use so-called "aggressive" all season tires. Access-a-buses have winter tires.

O'Leary says they all should have winter tires.

"A sliding 17-tonne bus that's 40 feet long, 10 feet wide, with 50 people on it, can do a whole lot of damage to everything around it," he said.

Tiffany Chase with the city says Halifax is on the last year of its contract with Michelin and it's considering a new type of tire for transit buses, but it too would be an all-season tire.

"Michelin has designed a new tire with a different tread, but it hasn't been tested on buses yet," she said. "Quebec City is pilot testing this new tire with its 60-foot buses, which is similar to what we have, the longer, articulated buses. So we'll be following closely the results of their testing of that new tire going forward," she said.

Chase says the city isn't considering switching to winter tires.