Prince George’s buses are making it through the pandemic, but advocates call for more frequent service

The pandemic may have slowed Prince George’s County’s bus service, TheBus, but the current national bus driver shortage hasn’t stopped it. Already more limited than other bus systems in the Greater Washington area, TheBus has alternated cutting back operations and, more recently, increasing them. Yet bus activists still consider the service inadequate and are asking for more, although difficulty recruiting drivers will likely make this difficult.

Covid hurts service

Reduction of service for the pandemic began in March of 2020. There weren’t any changes to scheduled routes themselves, but some runs (pieces of a schedule) didn’t operate, explained Paulette Jones, the spokesperson for the Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation. Where bus cancellations have been necessary, TheBus “strives to select routes randomly for cancellation, but with the least effect to high ridership corridors,” said Jones. TheBus does provide e-mail alerts for passengers to learn about cancellations online or by telephone.

Currently, TheBus has 140 operators, 8.5% fewer than before the pandemic, according to Jones. Surprisingly, as of February 2 only one bus driver was out with Covid. Ridership is about 70% below pre-pandemic levels.

Prince George’s bus drivers get a salary significantly lower than their counterparts elsewhere in the DC region: $37,300 to start with, topping out at $57,500 after three years. As described in a recent GGWash companion article, this compares to a starting salary of $45,776 for Montgomery County operators, topping out at $75,526 after 24 years, and $53,000 for WMATA operators, topping out at $81,490 after 22 years. TheBus operators do get a solid suite of benefits and a chance to advance into management.

Nevertheless, the county has long-term difficulty retaining drivers. “Our Contractor is successful in hiring bus operators, but once they get that commercial driver’s license and once they become proficient enough then, you know, ‘I can go to WMATA’,” said Anthony Foster, Chief of Transit Planning the Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation at a forum last July. “If you don’t have enough operators, you can’t put enough service on the street.”

An array of new services is also competing with bus agencies for drivers, compounding the shortage. Drivers “are using their commercial driver’s license to take jobs with delivery services like Amazon and DHL,” Jones said. “Driver wages all over the country are a concern.”

The pandemic has also forced Prince George’s to alter its experimental microtransit service, The Link, from a maximum of 15 passengers to 2-3 passengers, Jones said. Begun in November of 2020, The Link currently serves the Fort Washington zone.

The county does have assets

Prince George’s does have certain advantages when it comes to attracting and retaining drivers, notably a lower cost of living. In 2015-19, the county had a median owner-occupied home price of $302,800 and median gross rent of $1,475 monthly. Meanwhile, the District had double the home price, $601,500, and slightly higher rent at $1,541, while Montgomery County had a $484,900 median home price and $1,768 rent. Prince George’s is simply a much easier place to buy a house and settle down on a bus driver’s salary.

In addition, TheBus’s schedule is easier for bus drivers than other jurisdictions, according to Jones, since there is no late-night and Sunday service. She added that the schedule is particularly important for newer drivers, who might not the seniority to pick 9-5 hours in other systems. Of course, limited hours are also a problem for those who depend on bus service.

To alleviate the difficulties of the pandemic, Prince George’s has even improved service on major routes. Cheryl Cort, Policy Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, praised recent changes: in late 2020, headways on major routes were reduced from 45 minutes to 30 minutes and Saturday service was added. “On the one hand, we really commend the county for moving to implement these improvements, but we have a long way to go,” Cort said.

Cort is helping to form a new coalition, Rise Prince George’s, focused on four main issues: great places around transit, housing for all, safe streets, and better buses. The group’s platform is built on the underused asset of 15 Metro stations, as well as 11 future Purple Line stations. For buses, the goal is “not starting with the fancier things like dedicated bus lanes; we’re starting with the basics like frequent, reliable service,” said Cort. For Rise Prince George’s, this means a goal of 15 minute headways on the 13 busiest routes as well as running until 10 pm and Sunday service.

Prince George’s remains a county with great potential, but one that underserves its residents who most depend on transit. It will take vision to change that, but it will also take money, including higher salaries to recruit and retain drivers.