Transit strike hits 1-month mark

As the Halifax Metro Transit strike hit the one-month markThursday,peoplein Halifax Regional Municipality are still dealing withissues of getting to work.

More than 400 people work at Admiral Insurance on Bayers Road in Halifax.

About 25 per cent of the staff rely on Metro Transit to get to work, according to managers.

"This morning I left at around 8 a.m. and got here by nine. The wind is the worst thing coming across the [Halifax] Common. Quite a long walk this morning," said Stuart Lynam.

In the early days of the strike many didn't make it to work at all, now many of the staff say they have created a routine.

Staff have used Facebook to set up car pools and many have decided to walk.

"Currently I'm driving two people to work. One guy just lives across the street from me so it's good for him because he just gets to wait at his backdoor, he doesn't have to wait outside for a bus and another guy lives nearby so I pick him up too," said Brandy Borden.

Lynam said the strike has gone on too long and said he's tired of walking in the unpredictable weather.

"If it does continue I'm actually considering actually buying a car something which I didn't really want to do," Lynam said.

On Saturdays, Admiral Insurance relies on taxis to bring in staff, paid for by the company.

"I'm worried that as long as the strike goes on the more employees are going to get used to new patterns of travel back and forth to work and I fear a bit that maybe it's going to be difficult to convince folks to go back to taking the bus and ferry again," said Alex MacDonald, vice-president at Admiral.

The Amalgamated Transit Union has until Friday at 11:59 p.m. to decide if it will accept what HRM calls its "final" offer.

Union executives wouldn't take calls from CBC News Thursday.