- Service disruptions at JATA increased in March, with some buses that normally run every half-hour reduced to once per hour.
- JATA says maintenance issues and a driver shortage are the reasons.
- JATA Board Chair Lezlie Bowles announced she is stepping down following a tense exchange with a fellow board member.
- Board Member Jessica Embury was elected as the new chair.
- VIDEO SHOWS rider reactions to service changes and excerpts from the most recent JATA Board meeting.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
"The last service, I thought, ended around 5:45, and then I found out there's no buses on my route for the rest of the way home — for the rest of that night," says rider Ian Fisher.
Disrupted bus schedules on some routes keep happening at Jackson Area Transportation Authority, or JATA. It happened 7 out of 10 working days in the past two weeks. I'm asking what riders in my neighborhood can expect when they go to the bus stop.
Temporary bus service reductions at JATA increased this month, with some routes that normally run every half hour reduced to once per hour. According to the organization, this was due to maintenance issues and a continuing driver shortage.
I talked with riders about what the changes have meant to them.
"I have a job, I have to pay bills, so I have to get there," said one woman waiting for a bus on East Michigan Avenue.
"Makes it hard to get around….you don't really know — ever know if you can take an early bus so you could get somewhere on time," said another at the Downtown JATA Transfer Center.
Some need a back-up plan for those days when these changes happen. JATA has announced the schedule changes on Facebook.
"Things happen. You know, it's public transportation, so I work my way around it," said the first.
Ian Fisher says he walked home from spending free time downtown when his bus didn't come.
"It wasn't me getting to my job, you know what I mean? That's a minor use case."
JATA Community Relations Manager Hunter Causie says he expects these disruptions to diminish as new buses become available, new mechanics get caught up on maintenance, and more drivers are hired.
As part of my continuing coverage, I try to attend monthly JATA Board meetings. I went to one on Thursday. And what you're about to see between board members was not part of a conversation about schedule disruptions. Instead, it is a talk about an email exchange.
Board Chair Lezlie Bowles to Board Member Barry Malek: "You and Steve created the mess that we were in…"
(Steve Castle was a board member who resigned from the Board last year.)
Board Member Barry Malek: "No, we did not create the mess…."
Bowles: "Everybody here — the City here — knows it."
Shortly after that, Bowles announced she is stepping down from the position of Board Chair. Board Member Jessica Embury was elected new chair.
FIND OUR PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF JATA HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
