Expect long transit lockout in Saskatoon: columnist

A veteran city columnist is predicting a long transit shutdown.

Gerry Klein says a number of factors are coming into play.

"I wouldn't bet on it ending very quickly because, for the city, this is an important principle to stick on," he said in an interview on Saskatoon Morning.

"And for the transit union … I don't know how well funded they are, how deep are their pockets."

'Skin in the game'

Wages and pensions are the two issues forcing the showdown between the city and the transit drivers' union.

Klein said that the lockout will likely hurt bus riding as a transportation option over the long term. People who normally take the bus will find other ways to get around.

The politicians, they'll question who is the public?- Gerry Klein

"Unfortunately, the effect will be less over time. People become used to using the bus. People also become used to not using the bus," he said.

Klein also said that he doesn't believe there is a political incentive to end the lockout. 

The bus riding public is not a force at the ballot box, he said.

"There will be a loud cry from the public, but for the politicians they'll question who is the public?," Klein said.

"People who pay a lot of the taxes, this isn't universal, but people who have automobiles tend to have bigger properties, they pay more taxes, and they're more likely to vote, they have more skin in the game and if you're a politician you've got to listen to the guy who's going to mark the ballot."