Lynchburg Transit Board to Vote on Suspending Sunday Service

At their monthly meeting, the Greater Lynchburg Transit Company board of directors will decide on Wednesday whether or not to suspend Sunday service due to a shortage of drivers.

The meeting will take place at 8:30 a.m., in the GLTC Transfer Station located on Kemper Street. Chris Poindexter is the marketing manager at GLTC. He encourages residents who are interested to attend to share their creative ideas. He said that the board had already received comments via voicemails, email and five public meetings since January.

Josh Moore, GLTC’s general manager , said in January, that GLTC needed 42 bus operators to staff its fixed route bus services. It currently has 33 drivers, which leaves a 20% vacancy. Moore says that when vacations and sick days are taken into account, there is not enough staff to ensure reliable service for every route.

GLTC operates 14 bus routes in Lynchburg, and a part of Madison Heights 7 days a week. Moore admitted that he had to cancel some routes last-minute during the winter because there weren’t enough drivers. The GLTC began considering suspending Sunday routes to provide more predictable service every other day.

Ben Blanks said that the board of GLTC treasurer, Ben Blanks, believes that Sunday has the lowest ridership and, therefore, ending the service would have the least impact on the community. He said that the system averages 2,400 riders per day during the week, 1,600 on Saturdays, and 800 to 900 Sundays.

Blanks said that GLTC did not have a Sunday service between 2012 and 2020. Board members can therefore look back at this precedent when considering suspending service.

Blanks acknowledged that he understood how difficult it was to watch the city’s transport schedule change. He is a regular bus user, and estimates that he will have to spend between $80 to $100 per month to pay for Sunday taxis.

Blanks stated that regardless of the outcome of Wednesday’s vote, it is likely that changes won’t take place until April to allow riders to make any necessary adjustments to their daily routines.

According to a press release from January, the service change will affect all modes of transit, including fixed route buses, GLTC Flex on-demand rides, and paratransit for riders with disabilities. Poindexter explained that the change will only be temporary, until more drivers are hired and trained.

GLTC’s bus driver shortage is not unique. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data, nationwide, the number of intercity and transit bus drivers dropped by about 8.5% between 2020 and 2024. This is from 163,000 to 149,000 drivers. According to the Economic Policy Institute, school systems are also experiencing a shortage of bus drivers . This decrease is estimated to be9.5% from 2019 to 2025.

National shortage of Drivers is often attributed to the high retirement rate and average age of bus drivers. Other factors include the difficulty of getting the necessary training and licenses, as well as the stress level compared with similar-paying positions. Moore says that he faces a specific challenge in Lynchburg: finding drivers qualified to navigate narrow, congested roads.

The article Lynchburg Transit Board to vote on suspension of Sunday bus routes during upcoming meeting first appeared on Cardinal News.