Atomic City Transit’s Stephanie Conrad takes part in this year’s Earth Day Festivities. County Council learned during its work session May 21 that ACT is need of more drivers. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
During a previous fiscal year budget hearing, Los Alamos County Council approved an option for Atomic City Transit (ACT) to kick off a pilot project for a Saturday bus service.
The pilot project has yet to happen. The reason? The same one that so many other entities face: lack of employees.
Public Works Department Director Juan Rael reported on transit’s status during the May 21 council work session.
Three bus routes have been suspended, he reported.
“It is really a function of our staffing levels,” Rael said. “Currently we have nine vacancies within the division and that includes three full-time positions and six limited term positions.”
He added that a full staff means 32 full-time drivers (Trainee through Lead, including Dispatchers). Transit has been operating at a reduced staffing level for some time. Rael said he appreciates the current ACT staff for continuing to deliver great customer service under these circumstances.
The limited term positions include drivers for the summer to Bandelier National Monument.
To help keep routes operational, Rael said dispatchers and/or supervisors who are substitutes for regular staff have been called on more and more.
“There are several factors that I feel are contributing to the shortage,” Rael told the Daily Post Monday. “One, there is a demand for Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) drivers nationwide, think commercial trucking and deliveries.”
Also, “The County is hard pressed to compete with LANL pay in this area (and several other positions). We are trying to spark a balance between being able to pay a driver’s wage that makes it attractive to come to work for Atomic City Transit, while trying not to create an imbalance in other CDL areas of the County, such as Traffic & Streets, Environmental Services and Parks.”
“When LANL started their bus service from Cities of Gold Casino and beyond, is when we felt the impact of them starting up their transit service,” Rael said. “We have lost several experienced drivers to LANL.”
The staff shortage puts a strain on the services ACT can offer.
For instance, the Bandelier service, along with the express routes or the routes from all the schools after the school day has ended, is considered essential to maintain Atomic City’s ridership numbers, he said.
These ridership numbers are important because they help boost Los Alamos County with state and federal grants.
Therefore, “We are currently planning on starting a Bandelier service using our existing staff,” Rael said; however, this will be stretching staff. He explained to the Los Alamos Daily Post on Monday that because the Bandelier service runs seven days a week, it impacts things such as sick days and paid leave.
He asked for council’s feedback on operating Bandelier’s service versus trying to start up a Saturday service.
“We need it all,” Councilor Melanee Hand said. “We just need to find drivers.”
This is a tough task. Rael said a shortage of drivers is not unique to Los Alamos – it is an industry-wide problem experienced in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and the North Central Regional Transit District. The solution, he added, could be the starting pay offered.
Councilor David Reagor asked about the salary for drivers and Rael said that it starts at $18 an hour and goes up to $30 an hour. He noted that Los Alamos National Laboratory pays its drivers around 50 percent more than that for all levels. Atomic City Transit has lost several drivers to the laboratory.
Rael reported during the May 21 meeting that council had previously approved a two-grade pay increase that equated to a 10 percent increase.
Councilor Suzie Havemann seemed to lean more towards offering the Bandelier service; she ticked off points that included the Bandelier numbers help maintain Atomic City Transit’s total ridership numbers, which is valuable for pursuing grants and securing funding. Also, the National Park has limited onsite parking so people could be turned away and be deterred from visiting Los Alamos. There’s also the environmental impact; Havemann noted if there are more cars to and from Bandelier that is more emissions.
Councilor Randall Ryti agreed that the Bandelier service was important; adding that he didn’t see how the service could not be offered.
The good news is that as of June 3, one of the cancelled routes is back, Route 2M. Rael said anyone who knows people interested in applying to become an Atomic City Transit driver, can find an application on the County website. No experience is required, although it is preferred, and new hires will be trained to obtain their Commercial Drivers License (CDL).
