On Monday evening, the agency announced that it might offer vouchers as much as 5 US dollars for every trip with a maximum of two trips a day. The trips must start and end on a VTA bus or light rail and ended and ordered on Uber's mobile app in accordance with VTA.
Customers pay for the primary $ 2.50 of all trips, in accordance with which the voucher comes into force, and all additional costs are also paid for by the shopper, said the agency.
“We recognize the difficulties that our drivers are faced with due to the transit strike, and we strive to offer solutions that can make their transport challenges easier,” said Greg Richardson, deputy general manager of VTA in a press release. “This partnership with Uber reflects our commitment to ensure mobility for residents of Santa Clara County.”
The VTA announced the pilot program after members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 mostly voted to reject the recent contract offer from the agency.
The proposal offered a rise of 11% over three years in exchange for the union, which agreed with proposals that would cut back the absenteeism, in addition to a language regarding the arbitration processes that either side agreed, and a compromise in relation to public holidays.
“Our members want to go back to work,” ATU Local 265 President Raj Singh said at a press conference on Monday afternoon. “But our members will only return to work with a fair contract that guarantees their rights, their dignity and security.”
In an evidence, the VTA said that it had submitted a “more than fair proposal, which ensures that employees receive competitive wages and strong advantages for themselves and their families”.
“The most recent proposal from VTA reflects our commitment to our workforce,” said the agency, “and we ask our employees to take this opportunity to secure their future and return to work.”
The union left the job on March 10, after the negotiations on a brand new contract had fallen apart the week before, especially due to two sides that didn’t agree on the arbitration language and the dimensions of a salary increase. The strike affected around 100,000 people.
Further information on the voucher program will be present in the agency of the agency website.
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