RIPTA staffing crisis: Canceled school routes, supervisors driving buses, 15-hour days

Amy Russo, The Providence Journal
·2 min read

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority said on Thursday it had enlisted supervisors to drive buses as it weathered a continuing staffing crisis.

Six school bus routes were canceled early Thursday morning, affecting four Providence high schools: Central, Classical, Hope and Mount Pleasant. That marked a worsening situation from the previous day, when five routes were canceled.

More: After disruptions, RIPTA issues travel advisory for high school students for Thursday

RIPTA spokeswoman Cristy Raposo Perry said in an email on Thursday that the agency had "enacted a practice that allows us to call former drivers who ​are currently employed (clerks, supervisors, etc.) and ask if they would like to work additional time to help fill missed trips."

"Two street supervisors (who were not pulled from their responsibilities as street supervisors) volunteered to assist RIPTA this morning," Raposo Perry said. "We commend them for helping during this crisis."

At Kennedy Plaza, where students were making transfers, all appeared orderly. Two RIPTA staffers sporting yellow vests were on hand to help riders get to their destinations. The employees indicated that things were running smoothly, that students knew where to go, and that the transit issues had been persistent since the start of the school year.

RIPTA has 31 driver vacancies, Raposo Perry said. The agency attributed the staffing gap to retirements and challenges recruiting new hires.

Asked when RIPTA predicts it may find relief, Raposo Perry said the agency is "working internally on how we can effectively resolve this issue." In the meantime, it's hosting monthly job fairs through the end of the year to attract applicants. Drivers on fixed routes have a starting pay of $18.95 per hour. Paratransit drivers, who operate routes for people with disabilities who can't use fixed routes, make a starting pay of $16.45 per hour. Drivers can receive overtime, too.

Steven Sousa, secretary and treasurer for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 618, which represents RIPTA drivers, said the lack of staffing has been hard on drivers still coming into work.

"Everything’s falling on our members’ backs," Sousa said. "They’re working nonstop, 15 hours a day, covering as much service as possible."

But it's not just in Rhode Island. News reports from around the country show the driver shortage is a national phenomenon. Over the summer, a study released by New York-based advocacy group TransitCenter stated that the staff shortages – just like those seen by RIPTA – are due to an "increased rate of retirement coupled with struggles to recruit and retain new operators."

The crisis has been a long time in the making. In February, the American Public Transportation Association surveyed 117 transit agencies and found that 71% had to delay or cut service because of a worker shortage.

RIPTA will host a job fair on Wednesday, Oct. 12 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at its Providence headquarters at 705 Elmwood Ave.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RIPTA bus driver shortage: School routes canceled, supervisors driving