RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – The Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) is responding to concerns about cutting some services amid a staffing shortage.
Mayor Stoney raised concerns in a letter to GRTC board members about plans to cut 20% of service by the end of this year. That could include ending all transit services at 11 p.m. and significant frequency reductions across the system.
Stoney says the proposed cuts are ‘inexplicable’ since the GRTC is getting regional and federal funding due to the pandemic.
GRTC said ridership on local routes is back up to pre-pandemic levels, but it’s short about 30 operators and a dozen mechanics. The bus service says it is actively recruiting employees and trying to plan for what the service could be like by the end of the year.
But it’s stressing no decision has been made yet.
“We are preparing several scenarios right now, for the whats-ifs,” said Carrie Rose Pace, GRTC. “What if we do have more people retiring or what if we are not able to with the delta variant.”
GRTCsays current employees are getting a pay raise starting in October. And new operators can get up to a $5,000 hiring bonus during their first year.
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