A bus driver shortage partially caused by COVID-19 has led to the delay and cancellation of bus routes in Santa Clarita, but there are ways to keep track of which buses are moving and where.
Santa Clarita Transit (SCT) shared ways for riders to stay updated on bus delays and cancellations Thursday amid a bus driver shortage that has resulted in more inconsistent transportation.
On Tuesday, 17 bus drivers called out of work for coronavirus-related reasons, adding to the severity of the current situation.
A lack of bus drivers is an ongoing problem for SCT. On Thursday, 14 bus drivers who were scheduled to work called out for various reasons, according to Adrian Aguilar, City of Santa Clarita transit manager.
See Related: Local Bus Routes Affected As Seventeen Santa Clarita Bus Drivers Call Out For COVID-19-Related Reasons In One Day
Aguilar said following the SCT Twitter page is the best way to get updates on route cancellations.
“Any changes to our routes or schedules or any information we want to get out to our riders quickly is on that Twitter,” Aguilar said.
The tweets can also be found at the bottom of the homepage on SCT’s website.
Moovit and Transit can also be used by bus riders to plan out trips. The two applications let users know when buses will arrive late using real-time information.
“Moovit does push out messages about cancellations as well,” Aguilar said. “It pulls from our Twitter feed.”
Bus riders can use SCT’s bus finder map to track bus delays as well, but the map only includes information on buses running at the moment, not cancelled ones.
Updates on bus times can also be accessed over text.
“Each of our bus stops has a unique stop ID number,” Aguilar said. “Placards are installed at every stop location with a phone number you can text. You can text the bus stop number to that phone number and you’ll get texts with arrival information for the next bus.”
The placards also have QR codes that link to bus information on the SCT website.
During driver shortages, SCT officials sometimes have to cancel buses. According to Aguilar, ridership and frequency are the two factors considered when deciding which buses to cancel first.
He said buses with the smallest number of riders tend to be cancelled first. Additionally, SCT is more likely to cancel buses if a route has buses coming through frequently. Cancelling buses on routes with more frequent transportation results in longer wait times, but keeps routes from being fully cancelled.
Commuter and school routes are also prioritized by SCT, Aguilar said.
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