Hamilton’s public bus drivers, mechanics, and support workers are in a legal strike position at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, January 30th.
This doesn’t mean a strike will begin at 12:01 a.m.
Traditionally, HSR operators end their shift that begins the calendar day before a labour action.
There are many practical reasons, including calculation of pay and public goodwill, that service is not abruptly interrupted. Hamilton’s transit operations end just after 1 a.m. for Sunday service (25:00hrs on HSR logs) and 2 a.m. Monday-Saturday.
Last buses leave downtown at 12:00 a.m. Sunday night and 1:20 a.m. all other days with the last buses being Stoney Creek routes that wait for the last King bus at Eastgate Square.
Ending service at midnight would cause administrative headaches in calculating driver pay and shift premiums. It also risks confrontations between operators and passengers they be asking to leave the bus in mid-service.
In the event of a HSR strike, you don’t have to worry about being stranded mid-route. You’ll only need to worry about getting to work in the morning.