Tannis Anderson felt the effects of the Guelph Transit lockout right away.
Before the lockout began on July 21, her downtown bistro was seeing bustling business – particularly from commuters waiting for their bus.
Once the buses stopped rolling, it was a different story.
“We could look across the street and see emptiness,” the owner of Capistrano said Friday.
“When (people) don’t have a way of being able to get anywhere … things are eerily quiet, almost.”
Yasenia Cserepka noticed the same thing.
As the owner of The Casual Gourmet kitchenware store, she says she relies on foot traffic from families using the nearby splash pad.
Without buses to take those families to the splash paid, she said, the effect on her customer base was evident.
“It was a lot quieter,” she said.
With buses running Friday, business picked up. Cserepka estimated that she saw more than 20 people walk through her doors in the first 90 minutes the store was open.
Riders seemed happy to have buses back as well, although many were quick to express their frustration with the 18-day lockout.
William Scammell said the batteries on his scooter were dying due to his having to regularly take it across town as he looked after a friend’s pets.
“That’s going to cost me, big time,” he said.
The wheels of lockout-ending were set in motion Tuesday night, when members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1189 voted to accept the city’s latest offer, which contained a letter of understanding about washroom and lunchroom improvements as well as an 8.5 per cent wage increase over four years.
One of the more unique stories of lockout survival came from Heller & Moisan Shoes co-owner Ryan Moisan, who said that while there was a drop in business, his store also benefited from some customers who, while walking more often than normal, discovered a need for more comfortable footwear.
Guelph Transit buses continue to run free-of-charge until Aug. 15.
