OCEAN CITY — In the midst of the busiest time of year for Ocean City’s municipal transit system, the resort is still filling out the ranks of bus drivers but the expectation is to be fully staffed soon.
In an effort to continue the momentum from last year, which was one of the most successful ever for Ocean City’s municipal bus system as far as ridership, resort officials have been steadily hiring, training and getting new drivers out on the streets as the high school senior invasion continued this week. At Tuesday’s Transportation Committee meeting, Acting Superintendent of Transportation Wayne Pryor told officials the current number of municipal bus drivers on the payroll was 147, which is slightly less than the target number of 155 and a handful less than the figure for just a month ago.
“Last month we were at 150, which is just where we wanted to be, but we lost a few,” he said. “The last training class is scheduled for today [Tuesday] and we have 11 potential drivers going through the training, so we think that number will go up.”
Pryor said the end of the school year will also bring some relief as eight Worcester County public school bus drivers who work part-time in the resort in the summer will soon join the ranks.
“The good news is, the cavalry is coming in with the eight school bus drivers,” he said. “We can certainly use them.”
Pryor explained there is a typical level of attrition with the number of drivers recruited in the spring often different than the number that actually sticks it out and drives buses for the entire season.
“We’re kind of in the midst of that now,” he said. “People come in and go through the training, get on the bus and get out on the highway and then decide it’s not for them. This is kind of the shakeout time.”
A few years ago, the public’s confidence in the resort’s bus system was shaken by unreliable time schedules and long waits at stops, largely due to a declining number of qualified drivers. Last year, however, the Public Works Department’s Transportation Division made a concerted effort to hire and train more drivers and improve the level of service and the proof was in the pudding with soaring ridership numbers in 2015.
From a five-year low of just 120 drivers in 2014, that number has steadily increased to meet the demands of the stepped-up deployment schedule. For example, there were 138 drivers in 2012, 137 in 2013 and just 120 in 2014. However, that number spiked up to 150 in 2015 and the hope is for at least 155 this year after some are lost to attrition and others complete the training and hit the streets.
“The goal has always been at least 155 and I hope we get there this year,” said Councilman Tony DeLuca. “My concern is July and August. We had such a great year last year with our transit system and I hope we don’t backslide.”
Pryor said he was confident the ranks would be filled out heading into the meat of the summer season.
“The overall issue is with the turnover,” he said. “Between now and July 5 is the critical time. Once we hit July, we’re through the storm.”
In related news, Pryor said the ride-along program with cops on the buses began last week although there have been challenges with filling out the ranks.
“The OCPD had a difficult time recruiting this year, so the number of officers available for the ride-along program has been challenging,” he said. “Our primary concern is driver safety. The kids tend to get unruly and the drivers are on high alert at this time of the year.”
Pryor explained the municipal buses are equipped with strobe lights, which, when activated, can alert police there is something wrong.
“It might be an incident or something going on with the bus mechanically, but the strobe lights let the police know there is something going on,” he said.
In other news related to the transit system, Pryor said it will be all hands on deck this weekend during the OC Air Show to help diffuse some of the traffic problems seen during last year’s event.
Mayor Rick Meehan said the town does the best it can with its public transportation system during and after the event, but the sheer volume of people makes clearing traffic difficult.
“Any time you have an event that ends at a specific time, you’re going to have a tremendous amount of people moving,” he said. “I think we do a tremendous job of moving people around, but there are going to be tie-ups. It’s like the end of a Ravens game or an Orioles game, or even a concert.”
Pryor said end of the Air Show on both Saturday and Sunday creates the most challenges for the transit system and traffic in general.
“All morning, people are trickling in and finding their spots to watch the show, but when it’s over, they all leave at once,” he said. “We just don’t have enough buses to move everybody all at once, and even if we did, the heavy volume of traffic prevents them from moving freely.”
