Some transit riders were left scrambling Monday morning after Metrolinx employees went on strike, meaning no GO buses were available.

Employees of Metrolinx, which manages GO Transit, including bus drivers, station attendants and technicians, are officially on strike after the transit provider and the union failed to come to a new collective agreement.

The amalgamated transit union says 81 per cent of its members voted against the latest proposal and agreed to hit the picket lines.

“I've been saying for weeks that I’ve never been involved in a collective agreement [negotiation] that was so close yet so far," Manny Sforza, vice president of the Amalgamated Transit Union said.

A spokesperson for Metrolinx said the situation is resolvable but the union “decided to walk away from the table.”

"But we welcome them back. We’re here ready to negotiate at any time," Anne-Marie Aikins, said.

COMMUTERS STRANDED

Lisa Batson waited at the GO bus stop at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo for over an hour on Monday, trying to catch a ride to Mississauga to visit a family member in the hospital.

“The app is still updating to let you know that the bus is coming. So I kept looking and I realized that the time kept changing, but I just thought it’s on its way,” Batson said.

The labour action left several people like Batson confused and looking for another way to get around on Monday.

“[I] just hope that they get this resolved, so people like us don’t have to go through this,” Batson said.

PARTICULAR CHALLENGE FOR STUDENTS

At the University of Waterloo, the platform for the GO bus stop remained empty Monday. Student Justin Peng said they rely on the bus to visit Toronto during the week, but now their options are even more limited.

“The GO bus, it runs like every thirty minutes. So I can go anytime I want. But for a school bus, I have to book it a couple days before. And it only runs on Friday,” Peng, a University of Waterloo student said.

A University of Guelph professor says it’s been an issue for students there, as many of them rely on the service to get to and from school. Professors held an information session to inform students of other modes of transportation on Monday.

“Some students had labs today that they had to be in in-person and were looking for some kind of support and were wondering what they should do,” Shoshana Jacobs, an associate professor in the department of integrative biology at the University of Guelph said.

The strike does not affect go trains, but until the job action is over, the direct bus routes are stalled.

“It’s not good for sure,” Peng said.

Commuters can get the latest updates on the job action by visiting the GO Transit website and social media accounts.