GO Transit and the union representing bus operators and ticket agents returned to the negotiating table on Wednesday, with both sides saying they were "optimistic" a strike can be averted.
A provincial conciliator attended the closed-door meeting to try to resolve the dispute and hammer out a deal that would avoid job action.
GO's bus operators, support staff and ticket agents last week voted 96 per cent against the company's latest contract offer. Wages and job security are key issues in the latest round of negotiations.
Rejecting the deal put workers in a legal strike position as of 12:01 a.m. Monday. If employees walk off the job, they could disrupt the morning commute for tens of thousands of residents who rely on GO buses around the Greater Toronto Area.
While the job action wouldn't directly affect GO train operators, an Amalgamated Transit Union official says the striking workers will set up pickets at GO Transit stations and disrupt service.
GO Transit moves about 165,000 commuters every day, with its 1,800 buses transporting about 30,000 passengers. About 75 per cent of riders travel to and from Toronto.
If the unionized employees don't strike, they could also be locked out by the company.
With a report from CTV's Austin Delaney
