MTA Blame Game Scapegoating Bus Operators

MARCH 3—Frustrated commuters are often told by MTA that bus service is delayed because of staffing issues.

“We’re running as much service as we can with the bus operators we have available,” is a frequent refrain from management, echoed in announcements and alerts.

But a look inside some of New York's bus depots tells another story. This morning at Quill Depot in Manhattan, the city’s largest, 23 Bus Operators were on standby ready to pre-trip buses and take them out on the road. The problem was that there were no buses to be had, because management is not hiring enough maintainers to service the fleet, or not authorizing overtime for crucial repairs.

Steven Sanderson, who has 27 years with NYC Transit and drives the 86th Street crosstown, said there’s a shortfall of buses at Quill, with many being brought from other depots. 

“What we have is not enough equipment [buses]” said Sanderson. We have Operators on standby.”

Bus Operator Luis Lopez, a 26-year veteran who drives the M12 that heads down 11th Avenue from Columbus Circle, agreed. Lopez says management is cutting maintenance overtime, which prevents buses from being repaired in time for service.

"We’re coming to work. I was here through the snowstorm. I even took time to sleep over in the depot to be sure we had clear bus stops for the next day of service, for buses to roll out safely.”

In a recent interview with the Bronx Times, Local 100 VP for MaBSTOA Donald Yates told a reporter that “the MTA is lying. They’re not repairing the buses. It’s a staffing issue with our maintainers. They’re not hiring at the staffing levels needed to work on these buses, to keep them safe for the public. Not only that, they have to buy [more] buses. Some buses are not making it into service because of issues that they’re just not fixing.”

Yates says transit managers are fudging numbers to make it look like there’s more bus service than is actually being sent out on the road.

The VP’s comments are echoed by other Operators at Quill, all of whom agree that service isn’t up to par because buses are lacking.

“They need to hire more people [in maintenance]” said Bus Operator Steven Pierre, a 19-year veteran who drives the M23 in Manhattan.

Lopez, the 26-year veteran, adds another issue that prevents timely service – “so many double-parked vehicles, delivery trucks, and now the Ubers. Those little bicycles from Amazon are blocking bus lanes. We’re not able to get close to the curb to pick up people with disabilities.”

The city is “not enforcing bike lanes,” Lopez says. “The DOT did the hard work to put in these special lanes for bike riders – and they’re not using it, and they’re not being enforced.”