spmahn t1_iz0v02u wrote on December 5, 2022 at 5:24 PM

The bus service has been suffering at least since the pandemic if not longer. The short answer is that it’s chronically mismanaged at the very top. The long answer is that drivers are overworked and abused to their breaking point. They work extremely long schedules, frequently forced to work mandatory overtime, and get very little time to deal with their personal lives. They are forced to deal with the public and everything that entails and have very few resources for protection from being abused by passengers. It’s a difficult and stressful job that proves the point that money and benefits aren’t always the be all end all in life. Despite being in a Union the company generally doesn’t care about employee satisfaction, leading to many experienced drivers quitting and finding replacements has been challenging to say the least. So every day routes get cut, stops get missed, busses get delayed largely due to staffing issues combined with inexperienced and beyond burned out drivers. If you pass by someone wearing a blue CT Transit shirt, please tell them they are doing gods work.

Akb8a t1_iz17d4q wrote on December 5, 2022 at 6:43 PM

I’ve been riding the same route for 15 years and the problems have always existed. I don’t blame the drivers. At least where I am there have been mentions of revising the routes (because they are inefficient) for ages, yet nothing has been done. The drivers could probably devise a whole new system that could be more efficient based on their knowledge of routes and the various challenges.

AcademicSavings634 OP t1_iz18a7p wrote on December 5, 2022 at 6:49 PM

Yes and no. I agree with the drivers being overworked and overwhelmed but like the other guy mentioned, there’s been problems with CT Transit even before the pandemic or even dating back to before Fastrak was a thing. The whole system needs a revamp.

spmahn t1_iz1a0jm wrote on December 5, 2022 at 7:00 PM

Absolutely, the whole system has been terribly managed for a very long time. The majority of drivers work 10-12 hour days because of the ridiculous routes and schedules. You might sign on for 10am, drive for 3 hours, be off for 2 hours, drive again for another 2 and a half hours, have a half hour off, then drive again for another 3 hours before signing off and driving home, however long that might take.