Battle Creek Transit adds temporary consolidated route amid service changes
BATTLE CREEK — In response to upcoming changes to its fixed-route bus service, Battle Creek Transit is adding a temporary consolidated bus route to help passengers reach their afternoon destinations.
Effective Monday, BCT fixed-route bus service will run from 5:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Monday through Friday, with no service from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. to provide lunch breaks for bus drivers.
All hourly bus routes will continue to operate every hour (except for the VA Express, which will continue to only run at 5:45 a.m.) and will service their last route of the day leaving downtown at 2:15 p.m. All half-hour bus routes will service their last route of the day leaving downtown at 3:15 p.m.
The changes come as the agency continues to grapple with a shortage of drivers.
To better serve the community, and add some connections at the end of the day, BCT has created a new, temporary bus route that will leave the downtown Transfer Center at 3:15 p.m., Monday through Friday. This route will serve as a connection for riders with a final destination on one of transit’s hourly routes — Columbia/Territorial, SW Capital, and Fort Custer/VA.
BCT's door-to-door services, Tele-Transit and BCGo, will continue to operate from 5:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
"Despite ongoing efforts to hire new CDL drivers, BCT is continuing to face the most significant shortage of drivers that the agency has experienced in its history," city transit officials said in a statement. "Drivers must have a CDL to operate our large buses. It is important to note that this isn’t a problem unique to BCT, as transit agencies nationwide face similar challenges and service cuts amid the CDL driver shortage."
The temporary, consolidated route will only drop off riders at its stops. Once it leaves downtown, it will serve some of the major stops on the 5W Fort Custer/VA route, then continue to major stops on the 2W-Columbia/Territorial route and end with stops on the 4S-SW Capital route.
Any riders who get on a half-hour or hourly bus route during the 2 p.m. hour will have this additional opportunity to get home by using the select bus stops on this consolidated route.
The temporary bus route will drop off at the following stops:
Dickman Road at Forest Street
Dickman Road at Hill Brady Road
Silver Star Apartments – Clark Road
Kellogg Community College Regional Manufacturing Technology Center – Hill Brady Road
Brookside Apartments – Dickman Road
Meijer – Columbia Avenue
Columbia Avenue at LaVista Boulevard
Columbia Avenue at Capital Avenue SW – Pizza Hut
Beckley Road near Travelodge
Capital Avenue SW across from Omni Credit Union
Glenn Cross Road near Teal Run Apartments
Walmart – Beckley Road/B Drive North
Meijer – Beckley Road/B Drive North
"Transit staff know this route will not meet the needs of all riders, and (we are) committed to working through the current driver shortage and focusing efforts on restoring bus service hours," transit officials said.
Anyone with questions about the service changes, including the new consolidated bus route, can contact BCT at 269-966-3474. Transit staff will also be at the downtown Transfer Center, next to the U.S. Post Office on McCamly Street, on Friday to answer questions.
BCT continues to look for part-time and full-time drivers. CDL positions start at $20.61 per hour, with no experience necessary, and paid training.
BCT is also accepting applications for non-CDL positions, starting at $18.15 per hour. Once these positions are filled, and new employees are onboarded, BCT plans to increase the number of vehicles that are operating throughout the day. The focus will be on increasing the number of vehicles operating when fixed-route service is unavailable, officials said.
Those interested can apply online at battlecreekmi.gov/jobs.
Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek Transit adds temporary consolidated route amid service changes
