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The California Transit Association, which represents more than 200 agencies, says the labor shortage is causing service reductions across the state and warns that the impact could harden economic disparities because of the demographics of riders. Bus riders in particular, he said, “don’t have a lot of other options.”Ī bustling transportation system also means more foot traffic to small businesses, he said.
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Giovanni Circella, director of the future mobility program at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, said that while remote work has enabled California’s economy to bounce back, many jobs – usually lower-wage – still require people to show up to work. But because transit systems are arteries that get employees to work – especially lower-income workers – the impact is reverberating throughout the California economy. The labor shortage is part of a nationwide trend and isn’t limited to transit workers. Will COVID sick leave return to California?
#California school bus driver appreciation day 2021 drivers
“Before the pandemic, there weren’t enough bus drivers to drive the routes that we have unless the majority of us work a whole lot of overtime,” said Sultana Adams, 47, who also works for AC Transit. That could lead to some dismissals for those who don’t comply, further reducing the workforce and service to riders. Some counties are also in the process of issuing vaccine mandates for employees – which includes transit workers. I signed up to pick up passengers and take them where they need to go,” said Donaldson, who lives in the Bay Area city of Rodeo. I didn’t sign up to be a passenger limit police. I didn’t sign up to be a face mask police. “Many people have said, ‘Well, you signed up for this job,’ and yes, I did. And that means fewer drivers on the road – and more frustration among passengers. Transit agencies around the state are experiencing a worker shortage – and it’s disrupting service in Sacramento, the Bay Area and in Southern California because too many workers are out sick, quarantining or scared to come into work.Įvery day, Donaldson says, at least one or two of her coworkers tests positive.
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