Kitchener taxi company offers free rides for dialysis patients during Grand River Transit strike

United Taxi will provide free rides for dialysis patients who need to get to Grand River Hospital or the Freeport campus this week but are struggling to make their appointments because of the Grand River Transit strike.

Megan Nodwell, head dispatcher at Kitchener-based United Taxi, says they've been overwhelmed by the people who have found themselves in a pinch because buses aren't running in the region due to the strike.

"We have people that call us that are crying and they're just so grateful, or they just want to thank us that we're bringing their moms, their aunts, their brothers or fathers all to dialysis because this is a life or death situation. They can't go without this," Nodwell said.

She said they've had a number of calls from people upset and unsure how they'll get to medical appointments.

"It's always heartbreaking. I deal with that everyday as a dispatcher, because we're helping people get to and from their appointments, so we just know just how important community is. So this was just a no-brainer and of course, we wanted to help."

The strike by Grand River Transit workers enters its third day Wednesday. Workers walked off the job on Monday after rejecting a contract offer from the Region of Waterloo.

The LRT continues to run during the strike.

It's unclear when the two sides will meet again. A spokesperson for the region said in an email to CBC News that the region is "ready to continue negotiations as soon as possible."

Brendan Burke, president of Unifor Local 4304 which represents the workers, told CBC News no talks had been scheduled with the region as of Tuesday evening.

Other options

People have been posting to ridesharing pages on Facebook as a way to get to school or work during the Grand River Transit strike.

Grand River Transit itself tweeted that MobilityPlus customers could use TaxiScrip, a form of payment purchased through GRT to pay for rides with local taxi companies. The TaxiScrip coupons can be purchased over the phone, but sales aren't available at customer service centres as they are closed as part of the strike action. 

Some organizations, such as KW AccessAbility, have put programs on hold because of the strike.

"I can't go to work, our members can't come to our programs, they can't go shopping or to the doctors, or do anything because they rely on transportation," KW AccessAbility executive director Edward Faruzel said. "The staff at KW AccessAbility, we all rely on Grand River Transit. So it's not just the members. It's staff, too."

The local school boards say any students impacted by the transit strike will not be penalized for their absences.