WORCESTER, Mass. - Residents and city leaders are voicing concerns about the WRTA and its recent cancellations of bus routes.
At Thursday night's public service and transportation meeting, residents said the WRTA will cancel a route with little to no warning, leaving them without a way to get around. Sometimes, these alerts are posted on social media where residents said they aren't seeing them.
WRTA administrator Dennis Lipka said they have an adequate number of bus drivers, but when they get a sick call, they are left with a short time to find a solution.
"At six in the morning on a Friday, we have a complete shift covered," Lipka said at the meeting. "By ten, there are people taking the time off. They are sick, legitimate things. I'm not trying to throw anyone under the bus. It's not a perfect system, the notification can be better. We are working on a new web page for the WRTA that will be more interactive for riders. We are looking at better ways of notifying people."
Lipka said drivers are only allowed to work 60 hours a week, so as the week goes on and more drivers hit the limit, it grows harder to adjust staffing.