Improvements to Transit Windsor's garage are coming. But the union warns it's hard to keep buses on the road

Even as massive improvements are on the way for Windsor's transit garage, the union representing drivers and mechanics says equipment failures mean their members are having trouble keeping buses on the road and on time. 

But the City of Windsor says the union's claims aren't true, and no one will be left out in the cold. 

"They're the frontline people when the passengers get on and they're angry because they've been waiting out in the cold and some buses aren't showing up," said Manny Sforza, the international vice-president of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), which represents Windsor workers through Local 616. "When they get on the bus, the bus is really crowded because ridership is up. 

"The members just kept telling us the general public gets on and they're angry at us because that's the first person they see and they believe it's the operator's fault. Our members are really tired of taking the brunt of the frustration and the anger."

Riders told CBC Windsor they had noticed people being rude to drivers in their daily travels. 

"It happens from time to time. Someone's angry about having to pay their fare, about what they can and can't bring on the bus. It all depends," said Zander Kelly, who says he rides the bus at least once or twice a week. 

But another rider says he feels individuals have to do more to use the transit system well. 

"I've heard people complain, 'Well, buses take forever,' Well, you're not checking your app. You're not putting in the effort," said AJ Szwed. "You know, it's just not gonna fall in your lap, right?"

This week, the ATU said that three more of the hoists used to lift buses for repair are out of service. 

Combined with the six hoists already out of service, an issue the union says goes back a couple of years, and the hoist for transit support vehicles also not working, there are just five hoists to service 117 buses.

With fewer buses able to be repaired, that means fewer buses on the street. That means cancelled routes and late or overcrowded buses, the union says. 

But the City of Windsor says that's not the case: 14 maintenance bays are available. And, a statement says, the city has invested in mobile lift technology. 

"The city has made continued investments in the maintenance facilities at Transit Windsor, including new state-of-the-art mobile hoists and associated lifting devices," a statement read.

"These new lifting devices have resulted in improved efficiency, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness, and have moved Transit Windsor away from reliance on outdated technology to meet the current industry standard of mobile lifts."

Sforza acknowledges that temporary hoists have been brought in. But those, he says, are inefficient and make some repairs more challenging, because they lift the bus by its wheels instead of the axles.

Some of those hoists, he said, remain on pallets and shrink wrapped. And a representative from the hoist company recently met with their members. 

"[The representative] himself confirmed some health and safety concerns that our members have been bringing up," Sforza said. "They said — this is the hoist company — it's unsafe to do certain tasks on those temporary hoists. 

"So that is actually making this problem even more complicated."

The city has recently awarded an initial request for proposals worth about $35 million for renovations and repairs to the Transit Windsor garage, with work expected to be complete by spring 2027 without service interruptions. 

The city has also hired a consultant, to the tune of about $2.4 million to oversee and design the project. 

The hoist issue came up during the latest round of contract negotiations with the city earlier this year

Earlier this year, the then-executive director of Transit Windsor said that between 80 and 90 of the fleet's 117 buses need daily service. 

"Our members do a great job, but they just don't have the tools to provide the reliable and efficient transit to the taxpayers of City of Windsor," Sforza said. "It's just unbelievable that we're even in this situation."