Metrobus resumed its regular weekday service Monday after the transit agency had to reduce its bus schedule last month for COVID-19-related staffing shortages.
Metrobus had been operating on a modified Saturday schedule — or at about 75 percent of its normal weekday service — since Jan. 10 due to absences among employees linked to coronavirus illness and exposure.
Rail service was not affected.
Now, with cases declining and employees returning to work after quarantining, Metrobus was able to resume full service.
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"I'm really happy," said one rider on Monday, who said she had been waiting for buses for up to an hour during the service reductions.
Metro is also facing a labor shortage, so they're trying to hire more drivers and are offering $2,500 signing bonuses and paid training.
Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld has thanked Metrobus riders for their patience.
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“I want to thank our customers for their patience as we took swift action to protect the health and safety of riders and employees in the face of the unprecedented covid surge, which has impacted about 10 percent of our workforce since the holidays,” Wiedefeld said in a statement last month.