By Jim Heffernan, Tillamook County Transportation District Board Member
The Tillamook County Transportation District – or The Wave – has gotten some online attention lately. It’s not about funding or lack of money. It’s not lack of ridership (ridership is up.) It’s not lack of dedication and effort. It’s simple – lack of drivers.
On Saturday, March 16 a driver got sick midway through their shift. There was simply no replacement driver to be found. As a consequence, the 4PM, 5PM, 6PM, and 7PM town loop routes were cancelled. A social media post alerting riders received several chastising comments. (EDITOR’S NOTE: And it happened again today, impacting the Lincoln City route. With TCTD’s driver shortage, this issue may occur again.)
Mike Reed the operations superintendent tells me this is only the second time in 5 years that a route has been cancelled abruptly for the lack of a driver. “It was my worst nightmare,” stated TCTD general manager Brian Vitulli. “Absolutely, the last thing you want to do is have people waiting for a bus that isn’t coming. We are as devastated and frustrated with this as the community is,” he continued.
If you’re waiting for a bus that’s late, there is a real-time app that tracks the position of the bus at www.transitapp.com that works with I-phone and android phones. There is also Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Tillamookbus/. Also the dispatcher can be reached by phone at 503-815-TCTD (8283). And we’re working on other options for better ways to notify riders.
The District is trying very hard to hire drivers, but is just not finding them. I don’t quite understand why. I’ve never been a bus driver, but I think I have ridden enough TCTD buses to get a fair picture of the job. It’s not an easy job, but it’s a good job. The drivers provide a vital and needed service. They feel good about what they are doing. I really enjoy being on a bus. Usually, the people on the bus are regulars and there is an atmosphere like “Cheers”. Everybody might not know your name, but it’s friendly. There’s also something about a driving job, and I’ve had a few, that beats being cooped up in one place all day. And just think about the views from our roads and highways around Tillamook County – some of the best in the country.
The money and benefits are pretty good also. It’s a union job and generous 5 year contract was just approved. New drivers without a CDL ( Commercial Drivers License ) start at $17.68. TCTD will train and pay for testing and when the driver has a CDL, the wage goes up to $19.80. Yearly raises bring the wage to $28.42 after 6 years. There are additional raises for 10 and 15 year longevity. A 15 year driver would make $29.92 in the current year. In the contract year beginning 2027 the range is $18.94 ($21.22 with CDL) to $30.46 with 15 year driver at $31.96. Benefits include health insurance and retirement benefits.
Lack of drivers is going to cause further cutbacks at TCTD. As of March 31, the 7PM town loop, one Route 6 roundtrip, three Route 2 roundtrips, and the early morning Portland run will be discontinued. This is definitely not the direction the District wants to go, but we just don’t have the drivers.
The District advertises constantly for drivers and has worked with Worksource Oregon and the Tillamook Education Consortium in spring countywide sessions at local high schools. No catches yet.
One of the things that has put extra strain on TCTD is U.S. Renal kicking its Tillamook dialysis patients to the curb. The District provides transportation to some of these patients who now have to travel to Astoria, Lincoln City, and Forest Grove three times a week. It amounts to a lot of money and a lot of driver time, but it’s a life and death need, and a priority for our Dial-a-Ride.
I suppose we should accept it as just another deplorable feature of our commercial medicine system. But that’s another subject, don’t get me started on that one ….
So, until we have some folks step up and help fill these drivers positions – think of it as community service but you get paid – it’s not going to change any time soon. (EDITOR’S NOTE: I asked “what do you need 2 or 3 drivers?” and Vitulli responded, “More like 10.”) There are part-time positions that are flexible, and just think about how you’re helping so many people that depend on The Wave.
