The Montreal transit strike that met commuters halfway
Drivers still had to get passengers around at rush hour
Just because Montreal transit drivers were on strike didn't mean they were staying home or picketing.
They were working.
"6:17 this morning: the first buses get set to roll from the Papineau Metro station," said reporter Bill Amos on Oct. 18, 1984.
It was the first day of a strike by bus and subway drivers who were nevertheless taking people where they needed to go — at rush hour only.
An essential service
According to the Globe and Mail, Quebec's essential services act had required the union to provide a list of services it would still supply during a strike. It had complied by requiring members to work during the rush-hour periods.
It was the city's 20th transit strike in 10 years.
"The 6:15 bus was there when it was supposed to be," said a man with a pleased expression.
Under a brightening sky, riders were getting where they needed to go.
"As long as they keep driving in the morning and at night, I don't care," said a man in a trenchcoat.
Traffic on city streets was moving smoothly, and things weren't bad underground on the Metro either.
"There's no problem like this," said a woman in a Metro station. "It's crowded, but it's there on time. That's what counts."
Not quite as promised
But as the morning wore on, the camera spotted people standing on the street as a bus passed them right by.
"They said the last buses were at nine o'clock, quarter past nine," said a man on the street, looking behind him. "And now he just tells me the last bus was at 24 past eight."
Another man speculated there might be "a very large taxicab fare" in his future if he wanted to get to work.
And a student was distressed at having missed a class because no bus came when it expected it would.
A driver's perspective
"If we leave from here right now, we'll be giving service until close to 10 o'clock," said a bus driver in a leather jacket. "That would be a lot more than what we want to give."
A steady stream of buses could then be seen returning to their garages to wait for the afternoon rush hour.
"It is time for Montrealers to revert to their old transit-strike habits — for a few hours, anyway," said Amos, as a bereft bus rider stood with a thumb sticking out in hopes of hitching a ride instead.
