Metro Transit, the primary public transportation provider in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in Minnesota, is indefinitely suspending trips along dozens of bus routes beginning Tuesday, July 31, citing a growing shortage of bus drivers.
The state’s largest bus operator announced the cancellations in a news release posted on its website Monday night. More than 65 trips spread between 40 bus routes across the metro area will be suspended.
The agency is about 90 drivers short of its target workforce, which has made it difficult to cover all scheduled trips. The agency added that it is conducting an aggressive campaign to hire more drivers.
Some routes will have multiple suspensions. Route 3, which runs between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul, will have six fewer trips. Route 270, an express bus from Minneapolis to Mahtomedi, will have four fewer trips. Route 18, which runs from downtown Minneapolis to Bloomington, will have three fewer morning trips. The suspended trips make up about 1% of all scheduled weekday trips, according to the transit agency.
Metro Transit’s employment shortage was documented earlier this summer. The agency had about 1,500 bus drivers but was 57 short of its preferred number.
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Source: Star Tribune
