Westmoreland transit approves fleet upgrades

The Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s aging fleet of paratransit vehicles is getting an upgrade.

Board members approved a $1.4 million purchase of 11 small buses for the system’s Go Westmoreland shared-ride system that provides door-to-door transportation to elderly and handicapped passengers.

The purchase comes nearly a year after the authority ordered 19 new paratransit buses. When the 2022 and 2023 purchases are delivered, it will be a modernization of more than half of the system’s 58-vehicle Go Westmoreland fleet.

Twelve of the buses purchased last year are expected to be put into service in the coming months as officials scramble to ensure the buses are safe and road-ready.

“We are running things longer than we would like,” authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said.

The bus purchase comes as the transit authority has seen ridership on its shared-ride and fixed-route bus systems rebound. Ridership on both systems continued to increase and, in March, reached levels not seen since the onset of the covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.

Go Westmoreland carried more than 14,400 passengers in March, the most since February 2020, when the system averaged about 15,000 monthly riders. Blahovec said Go Westmoreland continues to operate with decreased service levels caused by ongoing driver shortages.

Paratransit ridership trailed off during the pandemic but did not experience the dramatic cratering of passengers the authority experienced on its fixed-route local and commuter bus routes.

Bus ridership averaged more than 31,000 passengers between July 2019 and February 2020. It fell to fewer than 6,000 riders at the height of the pandemic in April 2020 and, over the past two years, slowly has rebounded. For the 2021-22 fiscal year, the authority averaged about 12,500 monthly riders.

Ridership jumped to more than 17,500 passengers last month — a 13% increase from the month before and a 27% increase over March 2022.

The authority is evaluating its bus system with an eye toward reconfiguring its route structure and service levels. That process is ongoing, Blahovec said.

Drivers wanted

Meanwhile, the authority continues to struggle to find drivers. Officials said there are about 15 openings for Go Westmoreland vehicle operators.

Authority board members Thursday approved additional payments to staffers who successfully refer new employees for open positions. The authority will now pay $2,000 for referrals.

Signing bonuses for new staffers also were approved. New employees will receive $3,500 bonuses that will be paid over two years of employment. The bonuses also will be paid to all existing Go Westmoreland drivers, officials said.