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RTD Struggling To Find Operators, Considers Reducing Service

RTD is considering cutting service levels and is asking for community input.
Dave Genova RTD CEO
Dave Genova RTD CEO Source: Screenshot of RTD video in the story

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

RTD is considering cutting service levels and is asking for community input.

A telephone town hall event with General Manager and CEO Dave Genova has been scheduled to provide more information on Wednesday, November 6th, from 6:30-7:30 P.M. MST. You can register to attend by clicking here.

"You may have heard RTD has a shortage of bus and rail operators, and it's impacting our ability to provide you with the reliable service you deserve" Genova says in a video produced by RTD (embedded above).

According to Genova, they are requiring operators to work six days a week every week.

Frank Aguirre, an RTD operator in the video above, talks about how the turnover is high because people don't want to work six days a week and how they are required to 'volunteer' to work those extra shifts or be 'mandayed' (mandated to work). If they don't show up for these assigned shifts, they are docked with disciplinary actions, according to light rail operator Scott Maiers.

Operator Jerry Dickens talks about how he is unable to spend much time with his family and how he has to cancel school and family events.

Bus operator Isiah Veiga says it affects his ability to get enough sleep at night due to split shifts. He also talks about how riders are visibly and verbally upset and they tell him they're frustrated because they can't make it to their doctor's appointments on time or to work on time because RTD doesn't have enough operators to fulfill the workload RTD has for the operators.

According to bus operator Jerry Moore, they get lots of angry passengers that don't know when the bus will arrive or even if the bus will be there.

Genova goes on to talk about how RTD is considering a temporary service reduction and asks for the public to provide input via a short survey available until November 17th.