OCEAN CITY – In what amounts to essentially a chicken or egg situation, the resort’s municipal bus service continues to struggle with a driver shortage and associated decline in ridership.
During Wednesday’s Ocean City Transportation Committee meeting, members got an overview of early summer season ridership numbers and a review of where the transit department stands on driver recruitment. While the system continues to meet the demand in general, there are times when the deployments and the need for more drivers are creating challenges.
During the monthly meetings, the committee members review ridership numbers based on the latest available data. Because 2020 and much of 2021 were a wash for the municipal bus system, 2019 is used as a baseline for comparison purposes. Transit Manager Rob Shearman said the numbers for early spring compared favorably to 2019, but there has been a noticeable drop-off since.
“I felt like 2022 ridership was running close to 2019 earlier this year,” he said. “That was true until about mid-May. Now, I think we’re around two-thirds.”
Just like about every other town department, transportation has struggled with recruiting and retaining personnel. As a result, the number of drivers available, and thus the number of deployments, continued to curtail the number of buses available at certain times, according to Shearman.
They used to have good leadership in the TRANSPORTATION DEPT until HAL ADKINS and the crooked OC COUNCIL wanted their buddies to have the job and fired these SUPERVISORS and put in their buddies. The ones they fired were finding money that was not accounted for, as much as $10,000 per season. and occurrences of sexual harassment by employees and firing their buddies. They hire trash and protect their buddies then they get what they get. Word gets around and nobody wants to work for OC TRANSPORTATION, since they hear / see the corruption. I know these are facts, since I worked there
OC bus DESERVES shortages of DRIVERS !!! Been there TWO summers / did that GOOD RIDDONS
They treat people like shhht so that’s what they get !!!!!
The covid conspiracy is taking this country down, one business at a time including Ocean City, and the appointed highest paid government employee “fauci” is much to blame. There are other causes also, including o’biden, and his stupid anti-American policies, but everything started going to hell when mandatory closing of businesses was implemented do to take rat faced looking faulci and his thirst for the lime light. Every legitimate business in this country is essential to the economy as a whole. The domino effect is beginning. We had a good run going for a while but it appears the deep state has developed a way to take us down. Get ready for the new world order.
MAGA!!!
Hope they SUFFER !!!!!! They ALL should be FIRED ( ALL the Stuper-visors ) !!!!!! Incl Vernon Perdue !!!!
Close the Bus Mafia Control Center on the Boardwalk !!!! Fire ALL supervisors > SOLVED !!!!!!!
Then , > Maybe they get some Drivers !!!!
FIRE Vernon Perdue !!!!!!
Take those Micro-Managing Cameras off the Buses too !!! Or ELSE > NO DRIVERS !!!!!!!!