Public Transit: Buses instead of light rail for MUNI

Submitted by harris2 on Fri, 04/15/2011 - 4:33pm

San Francisco commuters might see more shuttle buses instead of MUNI light rail trains due to a lack of staffing and light rail drivers. An Examiner article found that the hiring freeze 18 months ago left MUNI light rail now depleted of vehicle operators, resulting in transit shutdowns and light rail removals for many San Francisco areas. SF commuters are being supplemented with shuttle buses for transit, resulting in crowded buses instead of light rail trains. What's worse is that MUNI and the hiring freeze might cost San Francisco taxpayers, with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency spending $20 million over budget for transit operator overtime. Even paying retired transit and light rail drivers with overtimed and pensions has done little to sped up graduating light rail operators, whom are finished with training in this summer. MUNI tried to save money by initiating a hiring freeze, but now San Francisco's public transportation faces transit driver shortages and pricey overtime expenditures. Where does MUNI go from here? All the information is from "MUNI Staffing Shortage Means Shuttles at Cost of San Francisco Taxpayers." Link here (http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2011/04/muni-staffing-run...)

Adding to overtime...

Submitted by harris2 on Fri, 04/15/2011 - 4:50pm.

The San Francisco government is also worried about overtime spending by each department, in a similar article by The Examiner, government officials are concerned about the $40 million overage for the overtime budget. The article mentions certain caps on state employees by hours, but trimming overtime pay seems difficult with public transit driver shortages. Link (http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/04/san-francisco-officials-want-rei...)