Last month it was the winter weather taking Coast Mountain Bus Company [CMBC] vehicles out of service; this month it is the supply chain crunch. “This means that more spare buses have been affected than we would like,” Diakow said. “However, none of our bus routes have seen service delays because of this. We are working to rectify the situation as quickly as possible and are able to service our routes without disruptions at this time.
Winnipeg-headquartered New Flyer Industries [NFI] Group warned in a third quarter presentation on Nov. 16 that it was short critical parts for wiring, door controllers and parts containing microchips. It halted new vehicle line entries at all plants in late October/early November in a bid to catch-up. The company expects parts delays to continue into the first half of 2023.
The president of the CMBC maintenance employees’ union, Unifor Local 2200, said parts supply is an issue, but understaffing is more acute. President Mike Smith counts 1,100 members, of which more than 700 are in skilled trades.