Financially, Ocean City is prepared if bus and tram ridership inches back up to pre-covid levels this tourist season. But one problem exists: a lack of drivers to haul them around.
During a Transportation Committee meeting last week, Councilman Tony DeLuca said he was “disappointed” that seasonal driver employment numbers were coming up short of the ambitious goal officials set several months ago.
“Our whole goal was 155; we said that 110 seemed reasonable …” DeLuca said of the bus driver numbers. “We find out April 14 that we’re 36 bus drivers short, 12 tram drivers short.”
Public Works Director Hal Adkins said later that the numbers are not quite as grim as they may seem given that bus ridership is not expected to jump that much because of lingering covid-19 concerns. He said the resort has 56 bus drivers and likely will only need 60 with the distancing protocols still in place and the leeriness of riders to board buses.
People locking to the island yet won’t be able to get anywhere (lack of public trans, more cars on the road) or eat anywhere (lack of help) besides fast food.
My oh my – what a CF!
They Treat drivers like shhht !!!! Did it 2 summers & Know it for a Fact !!!! They don’t deserve any !!!!!
Fire their Dirty Supervisors or they won’t get ANY Good Drivers !!!!!
They used to send a letter out to existing drivers telling them what, when, and whether they are being invited to back for the new season. Same goes for information about preemployment drug screening and (what used to be mandatory) training. The individual who oversaw all of that left and was never replaced. The committee simply sits around and discusses what they want transportation to do but nobody is responsible any longer to see that what needs to be done gets done.
Yes, they do treat their drivers like crap. Fortunately supervisor “Frank” is no longer there to tell the female drivers they take too long for a bathroom break.
Yea fire that prick Vernon Perdue . He is as dirty as they get. Thatis why Perdue fired him for sticky fingers.
Ocean City has a Dirty Click that runs that town !!! NO Thanks
Some drivers have worked for OC for over 10 years yet the Town never bothered to communicate with them when this COVID thing started last spring and still doesn’t. OC Transportation is managed by a committee. This is not how successful people manage a business.
The Park N Ride operation is totally shut down and the Town keeps the public restrooms there locked. The highway is staffed at most with 4 – 5 buses which don’t permit standees. I don’t understand why the Town doesn’t simply get out of the Transportation business and contract it out. There are a lot of businesses paying taxes to the County and the Town that receive limited Transportation services only within the Town. Hasn’t anyone noticed the rapid expansion of West OC? How will visitors get there? How will the employees there get to work? The Town doesn’t seem to even care and nobody really seems to be in charge. Just punching their time card every day won’t fix this.
From what I have heard is that the buses used to go to the outlets on a regular basis. But the new owners do not want them there so they don’t go to West OC anymore.
Whoa thats not a good business model!
Hogan has got to stop this crazy unemployment money like 17 other states have done.
NOPE Lets STOP YOUR $$$$$ instead !!!!!!
Should be Illegal to stop it !!!!!
What the people who are sitting home on their arses collecting that unemployment money do not realize that when these same businesses close up because they can not get help now have that FREE MONEY cut off where are they going to work???? Then they will be hungry, not be able to pay rent etc. This is what the government is after “TO CONTROL YOUR EVERY MOVE”. They will tell you what you can eat, where you can live and how much you are allowed to say and do. HOPE YOU ALL FEEL WARM AND COZY when that happens. THAT IS CALLED “SOCIALISM/COMMUNISM”. You lose all control of your life, money and freedom!!!!
I was the Best damn Driver they ever had & saw how their Dirty Supervisors pick on the Drivers !!!!!
They even Mistreated the Tourists on the buses too !!!! They Don’t Have Enough $$$$ to ever see me again !!!!!
If you ever spoke out & were recognized , you would be gone !!! They would harass you out !!!!
If you are a ROBOT , SLAVE, Desperate , Kiss ass , Backstabber maybe it is for YOU !!!!
Only One smart guy (old man ) i saw there Kept his Mouth SHUT all the time & said Nothing !!!
SO, he is probably still there !!!! That’s what they want !!!!
Don’t hire any School Bus drivers , they were the worst & Not qualified to drive O.C Buses !!!!
I drove there 2 summers & drove circles around them , while they dilly dallied , like slugs !!
Alot of years ago the bus driver job was great & gravy !!! Not anymore The Ones who got promoted let
their Heads swell & Ruined it ALL !!! Just a Click there is in charge of Everything & a House Cleaning is Long
Overdue !!!!
Fire the Supervision & Replace them or Nothing will get better unless they DIE first !!!!
Hal, your wrong. OC is going to be mobbed this summer with record crowds.
Fire Vernon Perdue!
AND Many More !!!!!
Yes he is the Worst one with Tooo much Power & has been there Tooo Long TIME TO GO 2021 !!!!
Who wants to be a Puppet on a string ?? Cameras all over the buses , controlled from the Boardwalk
Master Control & Houston !!! NOT ME !!!! Good Riddons !!!!
Glad & Thankful I don’t Need or Have to drive their stinking buses anymore !!! Pay sucked , should have been
Double that , Supervisors were like the Hitler SS like they can do whatever they please with you !!!! See Ya !!!!!!
Be ready to carry DRUNKS onboard , throwing up all over , & YOU have to clean it up !!!
Be ready to cater to SECRETS on 49 st , They get Priority over everyone else in Ocean City , & have the
Most DRUNKS waiting to get on your bus !!!! After they fight for awhile & on your bus too !!!!
Not worth the Liability , Risk , Danger !!!! Bikes have Priority over Buses in the BUS LANE > Not RIGHT !!!!
Keep the bus COLD to keep Drunks from throwing up !!!! Never turn down the A/C !!!!!!
Be Glad if those OLD Thomas buses are Gone , they broke down all the time along with those Baltimore city
type buses !!!!!
Could be a Good Gravy Job with plenty of good scenery , but their Supervisors Won’t let it be !!! SAD !!!!
Don’t do the after Midnight Hours , it is too much !!!
Do away with the NOT needed Boardwalk Houston Control Center if you want good drivers !!!!!
Nasa is down at Wallops Island , Va & Not needed to order bus drivers around in Ocean City !!!!
They can’t nor should be allowed to Drive YOUR bus from the boardwalk !!! YOUR bus under
YOUR control !!!!! They can’t see What You See !!!!
No less than $25.00 per Hour or they can Shove it where the SUN Don’t shine !!!!!!
June Bugs are up Next !!!! They like to do FLIPS on the Bus & cause trouble !!!!
A Click of a bunch of Old Farts who have been there for too many years are the problem !!!
They Get their Social Security & work the summer & then Draw unemployment for the winter !!! Some Life !!!!
That Greedy Vernon drives school bus too after summer !!!! FIRE him Now Looong Overdue for years !!!!!!
Ocean city wants that $$$$$ to ROLL (in) & it makes Plenty off those Party Buses too !!!!
Hell they get a $300.000 new bus for $20,000 with the State & Feds paying the rest !!!!
OC used to have 70 or so buses operating 24/7 in the summer May to Oct !!!! ALOT of $$$$$$$$$$
WOW – touchy subject indeed!
Just get some self driving buses from Tesla & then your azzzzhole supervisors can run them from the
Boardwalk Perch !!!!!!!
Nobody likes a Hostile Work Environment with Micro-Managers !!!! Glad to be Rid of them !!! RETIRED !!!!!
Have they formed a committee to replace the Mayor yet?
Retired , so now they can haul me around & tell me Nothing !!!!
They in the boardwalk Command Center think they are SPACEFORCE Commanders !!!! Close it Down !!!!
Looks like the Dirty Supervisors will have to drive the buses with Nobody to supervise !!! LOL LOL LOL Glad !!!!
Tell Ocean City > You Reap What You Sew !!!! Karma !!!! Glad You can’t fill the Openings !!!!
“Our whole goal was 155; we said that 110 seemed reasonable …” DeLuca said of the bus driver numbers. “We find out April 14 that we’re 36 bus drivers short, 12 tram drivers short.”
Public Works Director Hal Adkins said later that the numbers are not quite as grim as they may seem given that bus ridership is not expected to jump that much because of lingering covid-19 concerns. He said the resort has 56 bus drivers and likely will only need 60 with the distancing protocols still in place and the leeriness of riders to board buses.
Can anyone managing OC do math?????
By your own admission, your goal was 155, you hired 56, BUT you are only 36 bus drivers short?????????? Seems to me that you are 100(!!!!!) drivers short. THIS is the result of rule by committee. Not quite grim, my eye! Riders WILL board the buses unless you willfully stop them like you are now. Stop blaming COVID and get to work.
This particular thread is worthy of extending its life with a “re-posting”. There’s a lot of insight into the dark governance that seems to have taken over this Town’s (can I say all white?) management although I don’t really want to go there given the nepotism that’s been so evident for years that goes much further than racism.
Lowly bus drivers don’t deserve this level of mistreatment. Nobody has even brought up the harassment that has dominated the Tram operation given it’s Peyton Place environment. You see, former Tram managers eventually become Bus Drivers after sweeping under the rug.