WRTA bus driver shortage forces schedule changes
Photo | Grant Welker
The WRTA main hub on Foster Street in downtown Worcester
The Worcester Regional Transit Authority announced Tuesday on Twitter routes and bus schedules are being altered due to a severe shortage of bus drivers.
"12-28-21 Due to lack of drivers, on Friday, 12-31-21, New Year's Eve, all routes will be on a Saturday schedule. Routes 29,33,42 & Community shuttles will be on a regular weekday service. Paratransit will operate on a regular schedule. WRTA apologizes for the inconvenience." WRTA wrote in the Tweet posted at 5:21 p.m.
The national labor shortage has begun to hit transit systems across the nation, including the WRTA, as public systems must compete with private logistics and delivery companies, such as Amazon and FedEx, who are dealing with their own shortages.
Additionally, as coronavirus cases spike nationwide and across Massachusetts -- both the state and the nation have set records in late December for new daily cases -- drivers must quarantine if they test positive.
The gap between available jobs versus the inability to fill those positions is a widespread issue impacting all businesses, but one mostly changing the landscape of low-wage industries such as hospitality and food service.
For WRTA, the driver shortage means during New Year’s Eve, all Friday buses will operate on a Saturday schedule. Routes 29 (Southbridge-Charlton), 33 (Spencer-Brookfield), and 42 (Oxford-Webster) are the only exceptions and will operate on a normal bus schedule.
Paratransit and transport to Council on Aging services will remain unaffected by the schedule changes.
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