Sound Transit service designers were hoping that March would be the month to restore service to the transit system in and around Seattle. A shortage of bus drivers is sending the system in the opposite direction.
"A host of Sound Transit bus lines will see reduced service starting in March because of ongoing driver shortages plaguing the entire industry," reports David Kroman.
The decision to cut service reverses course from the Sound Transit board's intentions to increase service, as planned as recently as last fall. But like in so many other U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles to cite two recent examples, there simply aren't enough drivers to operate the city's transit system at full, planned capacity.
Ridership on Sound Transit buses and trains is also still far below pre-pandemic levels, reports Kroman. "Across Sound Transit’s trains and buses, ridership in December was just over 2 million people. It was about 4 million in February 2020."
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