The Winter of Our Discontent

It's finally over - the bus strike that held our city in its grip for almost two months - two bitterly cold winter months, at that - has ended.

How did people manage? By hanging in day by day, hoping it would end soon. I think most would have thrown up their hands in despair or marched angrily on city hall had they known it would last this long.

The transit strike impacted almost everyone in the city. Many avoided the downtown core, especially during rush hour. People who depended on buses to get them to and from work had to find alternate ways of commuting, usually car-pooling - or alternate places to live, closer to work. One of my sons spent the past seven weeks sleeping on the sofa of a friend who lives downtown. A second friend from the suburbs also joined them. This strange living arrangement - three friends and two cats in a one-bedroom apartment continued for seven weeks - ending, amazingly, with friendships still intact! Some changed their work hours - beginning at 6 am so that they could leave before rush hour. Others simply walked for miles - or biked in the snow. One 60-year-old woman walked 12 hours a day, to and from work, if she couldn't get a ride. University students who lived off campus couldn't get to their final exams in December or to classes in January. The stories go on and on.

Businesses suffered. At the end of a trying day, few people feel like shopping.

Now that the strike is over, one would think that buses would all be up and running immediately. Wrong! Although several of the main routes resumed February 7 (a week after the strike ended), others have to wait until more buses are on the road again. The problem? Buses that haven't been driven for 7 weeks in the winter don't start easily, let alone run. Frozen batteries on the whole fleet is one of the problems mechanics are dealing with.

This is a small slice of our story, the winter of our discontent. It's a story of anger, frustration, and questions: Why, in this city of almost a million people, is public transportation not considered an essential service? Why was the strike allowed to continue for so long? It's also a story of people quietly doing what they had to do, often helping others as well if they could.

For many, it will be a winter they will never forget.