LTD bus routes in Eugene to see reductions as bus driver shortage worsens
Citing a lack of bus drivers, the Lane Transit District announced this week a reduction in service scheduled to go into effect on Monday.
"The reason for the service adjustment is simple: LTD needs more bus operators," LTD Chief Marketing Officer Pat Walsh said in a written announcement. Walsh said LTD is "in the midst of a massive recruitment and retention effort" and hopes to bring back service later. The new timetables are scheduled to last until June 15.
Walsh told the Register-Guard LTD currently employs 170 bus operators, but had 215 before the pandemic, and the district is hiring for 100 more because of expected retirements and for flexibility around leave.
"We are in a continuous hiring mode," for not only drivers but also mechanics and public safety officers, he said.
No routes were removed under the new schedule, but several will now feature less frequent trips. The largest reductions include to the EmX and to routes serving Springfield, Bethel and north Eugene. LTD also included some non-reduction alterations to times and routes.
EmX
Removal of the midday Franklin corridor trips. Under the old schedule, EmX busses would make additional trips along the portion of the route between the Eugene and Springfield stations so that for parts of the afternoon the wait time between buses was 7.5 minutes. Now those Franklin corridor trips are removed and the EmX runs every 15 minutes during weekday afternoons.
Route 11 - Thurston
Removal of the 6:40 p.m., 7:40 p.m., 10 p.m., and 11 p.m. trips and adjusted time points so that on weekdays the bus now runs every half hour instead of every 20 minutes from 6 to 8 p.m., and every hour instead of every half hour after 9:30 p.m.
Route 12 - Gateway
Removal of the 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekday trips.
Route 17 - 5th Street/Hayden Bridge
Removal of the 6 a.m. and 8:25 a.m. trips, and adjusted other trips to be more evenly spaced out.
Route 18 - Mohawk
Removal of the 10 p.m. trip, the last one of the day.
Route 24 - Donald
Removal of the 6 p.m. trip and the routing where three morning trips were previously extended to 8th and Olive.
Route 28 - Hilyard
No reduction in service, but the route now turns onto 14th Avenue instead of 15th Avenue as it leaves UO station.
Route 36 - W 18th
Removal of the 2:45 p.m. weekday trip.
Route 40 - W Echo Hollow
Removal of the 4:15 p.m. and 6 p.m. weekday trips.
Route 41 - Barger/Commerce
Removal of the 4:15 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. weekday trips.
Route 55 - North Park
An adjustment to the afternoon trip of the twice-daily route. It now leaves Eugene Station at 3:20 instead of 3:15.
Route 66 - VRC/Coburg
Removal of the 3:20 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. weekday trips, and moved up the following trips so that a bus now runs every half hour instead of every 20 minutes during those times.
Route 67 - Coburg/VRC
Removal of the 10 a.m. and 5:20 p.m. trips, and moved the 5:40 p.m. trip forward 10 minutes to begin at 5:30 instead.
Several routes had slight adjustments to their timetables. For a complete list visit https://www.ltd.org/maps-stations-routing/
Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached over email at atorres@registerguard.com or on X @alanfryetorres.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Bus driver shortage in Eugene causes reductions to LTD route schedules
