Brampton Transit defends decision to cancel service on some routes, says up to a quarter of operators now absent on a daily basis
Brampton Transit is promising to restore service on a number of cancelled routes as soon as it begins to see a reduction in unplanned absences.
The transit system announced on Wednesday that it would cancel service on eight routes amid staffing shortages and reduced ridership.
The latest service adjustments are in addition to the 12 other routes, which service was already cancelled on at the outset of the pandemic.
Speaking with CP24 on Thursday, Brampton Transit’s General Manager Alex Milojevic explained that the unplanned absence rate among operators has risen from around six to eight per cent pre-pandemic to 20 to 25 per cent in recent weeks, making the service changes mostly unavoidable.
Ridership has also decreased from 85 per cent of pre-pandemic leaves to 65 per cent amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
“The worst thing we can do is to put out there for a customer that a route is going to be coming there and it is cancelled because we don’t have an operator to actually drive that route. So we would rather make sure that we are able to manage effectively and people can plan their trips accordingly,” Milojevic said. “As soon as we start experiencing our absenteeism rate coming back and being reduced we will immediately implement the regular service.”
Milojevic said that Brampton Transit has attempted to only axe routes where there is duplicate service provided by another route so as to “minimize” the impact on customers.
He said that the hope is that service will be restored within weeks, however that will be contingent on a reduction in absences.
“Absolutely it is very dynamic. For example if we regain our resources back one week later we will be implementing service one week later. But we don’t know when this will slowly start going on the downhill,” he said.
So far a number of other transit agencies have also reduced service amid an increase in staff absences, including Mississauga’s MiWay.
GO Transit also introduced a new schedule this week that reduces service by about 15 per cent across its network.
For a full list of Brampton Transit routes that have been impacted follow this link.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.