By Brian Vitulli, General Manager, Tillamook County Transportation District
In my last article*, I shared a lot about the bus driver shortage that is impacting our services locally, and that we’re not alone in this issue. Nationally, transit agencies, and many other industries, are experiencing a lack of available workers. While there are positive signs that the Tillamook County Transportation District (TCTD) is slowly starting to turn the corner by hiring more drivers, it’s likely going to be a slow, longer-term effort. So, until we get more of the drivers that we want– those who care about the community, those who have great personal skills and know how to provide good customer service, and those who realize and appreciate that it’s a rare opportunity to be able to both serve your community while working for a great organization that cares for you and offers great benefits, wages, and opportunities for a career — the District is going to have to discontinue some service while it rebuilds.
Beginning, Sunday, May 12, TCTD will implement a reduced level of service that operates primarily on Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, the District will only operate two, Route 5 roundtrips to, and from Portland. This is certainly not something we want to do, but we feel that with our current number of drivers, this is the level of service we can reliably provide.
The next service change occurs in September, and hopefully with an enhanced pool of drivers, we will be able to restore our system back to where we should be.
There’s been a lot of information, and frankly misinformation, lies, and exaggerations, circulating recently about these upcoming changes. Claims that the District is not communicating or notifying the public, that we’re not being truthful, that we’re hiding something and not being transparent. I’d like to assure you that as the General Manager of this Oregon special district that was formed to provide public transportation services in and beyond Tillamook County, I take my role very seriously and always strive to provide accurate and timely information to our customers. And I expect my staff to do the same.
Unfortunately, the information that has been shared throughout the community was leaked and spread by a small number of drivers looking to spread ill will and give the District a black eye. They had no business doing this and certainly were not sanctioned to do it, as they are not authorized to speak for the District. Their action of sharing this information before it is finalized and formerly released does a disservice to the community and continues to fan the flames of distrust of TCTD management. Again, we are following the proper rules, procedures and the process for making these service-related updates. Spreading rumors and gossip undermines the ability of the District and purposefully gives the appearance of ‘hiding something.’
We are being totally transparent about the dire need for more drivers, and as soon as any service updates are approved, the trusted source for accurate information would always come directly from TCTD.
Interested in hearing the truth about what is happening at the District or talking to someone about working at the District? Email us at hr@tillamookbus.com or info@tillamookbus.com or call us at 503-815-TCTD (8283).
