From Lesley Kandaras, Chief of Staff, and Adam Harrington, Director of Service Development
Since the start of the pandemic, we've suspended service on more than 50 routes and been forced to run trips less frequently on many others.
Initially, these changes reflected rapid changes in travel that occurred when public health officials encouraged people who could stay home to do so. More recently, we've reduced service to maintain reliability amid an ongoing operator shortage.
These necessary decisions were made thoughtfully, including consideration for how they'd affect people who rely on transit the most. Even so, the scale and pace of change has been dramatic and disruptive.
With continued success in our operator hiring efforts, we hope to begin offering more service later this year.
As we look forward, though, we know we must think carefully about how we use our limited resources and how we expand as staffing levels and funding allow us to do so. And we know we cannot and should not make these decisions alone.
So, we are embarking on an 18-month project, Network Now, that will help us make decisions that best respond to the needs of the communities we serve.
An important first step in the Network Now project will soon be underway.
Over the coming months, we will be inviting feedback on the values and principles we should use when making service decisions. We'll also be using this time to more fully explain how we got to where we are today and the state of our current transit network.
A list of prioritized service changes that could be made in the coming years – guided by the values and principles defined through Network Now engagement – will be completed in early 2024.
As part of this work, we may also go through the public process needed to discontinue routes that have been suspended for several years now.
As we embark on this new and more expansive service planning exercise, we encourage you to follow along and to provide your input when there are invitations to do so.
Thank you in advance for participating in this important conversation.