CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority will increase its fixed route bus schedule on weekdays, beginning Monday.
The authority (KRT) announced the changes to the schedule mirroring services pre-pandemic, as executive director Doug Hartley expressed relief to 580-WCHS.
“We will be returning to Monday through Friday our regular Monday through Friday service and no longer operating the reduced services on those days. Our service on Saturday and Sunday will be exactly like it is now,” he said.
The weekday services since May had been operating at ‘Saturday levels’ meaning 70% of the normal service. Hartley said that was because of multiple factors including the turnover of drivers. Some were laid off and others were on vacation, according to Hartley.
He said it’s been a ‘balancing act’ with staffing but feels confident the KRT has an appropriate level now.
“We’ve had some people elect not to come back after the pandemic. We had some people retire. We have been in the process since August in trying to beef up our staffing level,” Hartley said.
KRT’s COVID-19 protocols remain in place as the authority asks riders to have a mask on prior to boarding the bus and practice social distancing in public.
Ridership is down 35% from last year at this time but Hartley said precautions are a must.
“We want our drivers to be safe. We want our passengers to be safe. We still want to provide as much service as we could to Kanawha County,” he said.
“We are still going to require masks on the bus. We are still going to ask people to social distance if they are not from the same family while they are on the bus.”
For more information, please visit www.rideonkrt.com or contact KRT at 304-343-3840.