HSR looking at bus service cuts as COVID forces more drivers off work

The HSR is looking at temporarily cutting bus service to handle an anticipated driver shortage amid an Omicron-fuelled wave of COVID infections.

The number of transit employees off work is already higher than normal, up to 60 on any given day, said transit union head Eric Tuck. There are around 515 HSR drivers and more than 600 transit workers in total.

Some (people) are sick with COVID, but it's also family members forced to isolate, or dealing with childcare issues," Tuck said. It's not just the HSR. This is hitting everyone hard."

At a COVID briefing Tuesday, the city reported 352 staffers positive for COVID or isolating as a precaution.

So far, Tuck said the HSR has been able to plug holes" in the current schedule to avoid major problems with no-show buses, but if things get worse, that likely won't be sustainable."

Tuck said the HSR has alerted the union it is looking at returning to summer-level bus frequency to ensure service remains reliable and predictable."

City emergency operations head Jason Thorne confirmed Tuesday the city is looking at schedule adjustments" to handle growing staffing shortages. At the moment we are maintaining our regular schedule but I do anticipate that will change in the coming weeks."

Despite the growth in COVID cases linked to the highly transmissible Omicron variant, Thorne said the city is so far not cutting bus capacity. He noted ridership - which cratered during the early months of the pandemic - remains lower than normal. We haven't seen any significant crowding issues," he said.

Tuck said that lower ridership provides flexibility" to strategically cut service in some areas without leaving riders in the cold. Reliability is the big thing," he said. When we say a bus is going to be there - especially in the winter - that bus needs to be there."

GO trains and buses also face a high rate of absenteeism" due to COVID, said Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins.

As a result, she said the transit agency is planning a new temporarily reduced train schedule." Details have yet to be released, but Aikins said she expects up to 15 per cent of daily trips to be temporarily cancelled.

At least two train trips to or from Hamilton were cancelled Tuesday. The new schedule is expected to be available before Jan. 10.

Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at for The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com