The Transit Driver Shortage

Something really needs to be done about the transit driver shortage. Many transit systems have enough riders to bounce back from the pandemic, but are having trouble hiring enough people to drive buses and trains.

The Right claims this is because “no one wants to work”, which really isn’t true. Most people do want to work, though the jobs they desire may not match what society needs at the moment.

The truth is, in the 1970s and 1980s, being a city bus driver was a good job that paid well and had a certain prestige to it. However, wages have fallen behind inflation as government transit agencies have had budget cut after budget cut. Adding injury to insult is the fact that the human factor has become much less safe than it once was.

Now may be a good time for transit agencies to reevaluate their rules, determine which ones are actually necessary for safety and comfort, strictly enforce those, and abolish the rest. For once example, most transit systems in the United States, except a few in the Northeast, ban food and drink. The reason is obvious: to prevent littering and mess that attracts pests. However, this rule also militates against an aspect of transit that can increase its convenience over driving: the ability to multitask. The ability to enjoy a non-messy, non-smelly snack and a drink in a reasonably sturdy, spill-proof container is an advantage over driving, if it is allowed.

Part of the problem is defining “non-messy”, “non-smelly”, “reasonably sturdy”, and “spill-proof”. Bus drivers and transit security may need the discretion to define these things ad hoc. Guidelines can be written in advance but they are unlikely to cover every situation. For example, a chocolate bar or ice cream cone is probably fine in the hands of an adult or an apparently responsible teenager, but would you want a toddler or preschooler eating the same thing on a bus? Probably not. Unfortunately, common sense has devolved into “zero tolerance” because it’s the safest way to avoid being accused of being discriminatory.

We need to bring back the concept of common sense! Sometimes common sense can only be served by giving those in authority some discretion to decide what is allowed and what isn’t. Of course, some of this happens anyway on an unofficial level, but at great risk to the bus driver or security person involved.