ST. LOUIS — The ongoing, nationwide labor shortage will soon impact the way some St. Louisans get from point A to B.
“I’m definitely not looking forward to it. The bus I ride every day to take my son to school and then to go home after I work will be one of the ones with a new service change. I think Metro should be considerate to single parents with kids. We have to get to work and take our kids to school on time,” said Melinda Jefferson.
Metro Transit says because of the limited number of workers the shortage has created, they've had to cancel trips. In return, the company has been forced to make some changes to improve reliability for riders.
“It’s going to be annoying because if I can’t get that bus home, which usually gets me there in 15 minutes, I’m gonna end up having to take the train to the Grand Station and wait around for a Grand bus and then walk home from that,” said Nicki Vitale, who works at St. Louis City Hall.
Starting Monday, Nov. 29, adjustments to schedules and service frequency are expected for 37 Missouri MetroBus routes, which includes the temporary suspension of service on six routes. There are no changes to MetroLink or Illinois MetroBus service, according to Metro Transit.
“Metro is a large business. They should be able to figure out how to get this all to work,” added Vitale.
Temporarily Suspended Routes:
• #46 Tesson Ferry
• #65 Outer Forty
• #57X Clayton Road
• #58X Twin Oaks Express
• #73X I-55 Express
• #410X Eureka Express
Service Ends at 8 p.m.:
• #60 Shepley-Lilac
• #78 Bellefontaine
• #79 Ferguson
Changes to Service Frequency:
• #4 Natural Bridge
• #10 Gravois-Lindell
• #32 Dr. ML King
• #35 Rock Road
• #40 N. Broadway
• #41 Lee
• #49 Lindbergh
• #57 Manchester
• #60 Shepley-Lilac
• #61 Chambers Rd.
• #64 Lucas-Hunt
• #73 Carondelet
• #76 McDonnell-Waterford
• #77 Village Square
• #78 Bellefontaine
• #91 Olive
• #94 Page
• #97 Delmar
• #98 Ballas-North Hanley
• #174X Halls Ferry Express
Via Metro STL will be available in most cases for those who still may need a lift.
New schedules and route maps will be available on Nov. 15 to reflect the changes.