Ottawa·NewBlue Line Taxi drivers in Ottawa have voted to ratify a new collective agreement and end a nearly three-week strike, according to their union.Details of deal unavailable; key issue was driver feeCBC News · Posted: Oct 10, 2025 8:26 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes agoBlue Line taxi drivers went on strike Sept. 19 after contract negotiations reached an impasse. About 500 drivers are part of the Blue Line fleet. (Nathan Fung/CBC)Blue Line Taxi drivers in Ottawa have voted to ratify a new collective agreement and end a nearly three-week strike, according to their union.”Taxi drivers have shown incredible unity and resilience throughout this strike,” said Unifor Local 1688 President Bahdon Issa in a news release Thursday evening.The strike began on Sept. 19 after Blue Line demanded a 20 per cent increase in the monthly fee the company charges drivers, called a stand fee, Unifor told CBC. “We are at the point of breaking. We can’t afford any more increases,” Issa said at the time.Bahdon Issa, president of the local union, said in September the increase in stand fees was a “breaking point” for the fleet’s drivers. (Nathan Fung/CBC)Thurday’s news release did not specify what happened to the stand fee in the newly ratified agreement. It said the new agreement “ensures greater stability in stand fees,” among other changes. “Our members took a stand not just for themselves, but for fairness across the taxi industry in Ottawa,” Issa wrote Thursday. “This new agreement brings greater stability and respect to drivers who provide an essential service to our city every day.”
Blue Line Taxi drivers end strike, ratify deal
