VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – We’re getting a better sense of the kinds of cuts we could expect in bus service that TransLink has been warning us about.

TransLink plans to cut 50,000 hours of service starting with its winter schedule, and that has transit bus drivers concerned.

Gavin Davies with the Canadian Autoworkers Local 111, which represents bus drivers, says the little bit of extra time for drivers to complete their routes is now being shaved back, as TransLink tries to meet growing demand with fewer dollars.

“So the impact on the passengers is going to include less reliable service. In many cases, some of our drivers are going to be pushed to the max as far as stressors,” he insists.

He warns commuters to brace for big cuts to the services they’re used to.

“With that 50,000 hours of cuts there is going to be a reduction in service,” he says. “So for people who live in areas where they have half-hour bus service they might get hourly bus service and in many cases a complete eradication of bus service altogether.”

Long-term funding for the transit authority has been an ongoing problem. Plus, revenues from gas taxes aren’t as high as the authority had hoped.