Calgary Transit to cut up to 450 jobs amid COVID-19 ridership slump, union says

Job cuts are coming to Calgary Transit now that revenue and ridership have dropped significantly because of COVID-19.

Mike Mahar, the president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 583, says as many as 450 jobs will be lost.

"For the ones that are going, it's going to be devastating. That's their security, that's their livelihood, that's how they support their families and their loved ones," he said.

"The job is one of the most important things in your life next to loved ones."

The chair of the city's transportation and transit committee, Coun. Jeff Davison, says the cuts are temporary.

"What we're trying to balance here is the safety of ridership and providing services to those essential services workers who need to get to positions of employment with putting the right amount of buses and trains on roads and tracks," he said.

But Mahar says his members aren't being given a date when they might be called back to work.

As of April 6, all routes have had service levels scaled back, but no routes have been cancelled.