8/18/2023 0 Comments Cta bus driver starting pay![]() ![]() “What that impact has been is that there are many days runs are missed and people are not able to get the ride they expect from us,” she said. Gunter said that being 80 to 100 drivers short for SMART’s fixed routes has a direct effect on the system’s service levels. 14 during a pro-bus-driver rally in Detroit to raise awareness of the issue that to even get to the event he had to ride a bike downtown from Eight Mile and Livernois after four different DDOT and SMART buses he expected to be able to take were canceled. Service issues are evident now, however, and the impact of the driver shortage is clear to Mitch Mantey, 28, of Detroit. ![]() Oglesby acknowledged “major challenges” for DDOT in his recent talk but noted that “if you don’t have enough people for the schedule then you just change the schedule for the people that you have.” He said DDOT was providing comparable "revenue miles" to last year and predicted that when enough drivers are able to be hired that service would improve dramatically. More: Express shuttle between downtown Detroit, Metro Airport could launch by end of 2023 For DDOT, the number was 68%, according to information provided by the advocacy group Transportation Riders United. Metro Detroit, however, has been hit particularly hard, with SMART operating at about 75% of its service level before the pandemic, according to Tiffany Gunter, SMART’s deputy general manager and chief operating officer. The American Public Transportation Association reported in October that 96% of agencies it surveyed were dealing with a workforce shortage, including bus drivers and mechanics, and 84% of those agencies said it was hampering their ability to provide service. Mikel Oglesby, executive director of transit for the city of Detroit, speaking at a transit event in Detroit in January said, “This is not just a problem in Michigan, this is a problem in the United States.” Experts point to a range of factors, from inadequate compensation in a tight job market and retirements to concerns about safety and work-life balance, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic.Ĭ. The shortage is an issue for metro Detroit, but one felt nationwide, too. ![]()
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