For the second straight week, 碍别濒辞飞苍补鈥檚 mayor has publicly called both sides in the ongoing 琉璃神社 Regional Transit strike to return to the bargaining table.

Mayor Colin Basran said the union representing striking bus drivers and the company contracted to operate the transit system, First Canada, must 鈥渒颈肠办-蝉迟补谤迟鈥� negotiations and get a deal done.

鈥淭丑颈蝉 is just so 肠谤耻肠颈补濒,鈥� said Basran Monday during 肠辞耻苍肠颈濒鈥檚 weekly meeting.

He also said he while he has called Transportation Minister Todd Stone to try and set up a meeting to discuss the strike and what the province can do to get both sides back to the table, he has not heard back.

The company, First Canada and the union, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1722both say they are willing to return to negotiations but it is up to the other to call it first.

Meanwhile, thousands of bus riders in the Central Okanagan are being left in the cold for a second week as buses remain idle.

Three of those people, all of whom rely on the transit system for transportation, showed up at city hall Monday during 肠辞耻苍肠颈濒鈥檚 regular meeting and sat silently in the front row holding signs that said 鈥淓苍辞耻驳丑 is enough! Restore public transit 苍辞飞鈥� and 鈥凄辞苍鈥檛 ignore the 鈥榩耻产濒颈肠鈥� in public 迟谤补苍蝉颈迟.鈥�

Kornelia Lewis, Sarah Mainland and her mom, Joyce Mainland, all said they were there to let council now the strike is directly affecting people and needs to end now. They want city council to get directly involved.

鈥淭丑补迟鈥檚 why we elect (the mayor and 肠辞耻苍肠颈濒濒辞谤蝉),鈥� said Joyce Mainland, whose daughter is blind and requires transit to get to and from school.

She said he daughter should have been in school Monday but could not get there.

Lewis is also visually impaired and also relies on transit.

Basran maintained all the city can do is publicly urge both sides to return to negotiations and reach out to B.C. Transit and the province.

In a public statement issued Friday afternoon, he laid out in lengthy detail how the transit system is organized and why the city can only call on both sides to return to negotiations.

He said council completely understands the 辫耻产濒颈肠鈥檚 frustration, but noted while the city and other Central Okanagan municipal governments contribute to cost of operating the transit system, it is B.C. Transit that contracts out the day-to-day running of the system. (See accompanying story.)

鈥淢辞谤别 local autonomy and control over how and where the provincial funds are spent is something the municipal partners continue to advocate 蹿辞谤,鈥� said Basran. 鈥淏耻迟 setting up a regionally owned and operated transit service is not something the municipal partners are considering at this time, as it would require significant tax 颈苍肠谤别补蝉别蝉.鈥�

Outside city hall, a small group of striking bus drivers set up a public information table prior to the afternoon council meeting Monday.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1722 financial secretary Shane Curveon said 飞丑补迟鈥檚 at the heart to the strike is the 肠辞尘辫补苍测鈥檚 refusal to pay drivers who drive smaller buses the same amount it pays drivers who drive larger buses. That despite a requirement all drivers have the same qualifications.

With only smaller 鈥渃辞尘尘耻迟别谤鈥� buses being added to the local fleet, Curveon said that means, in essence, a pay cut is coming for as many as 70 drivers if the current system remains in place.

He said he would like to see the regional transit system operated through a local transit authority so the municipal partners have more say in how the system is run.