The CommonThe CommonWBUR

Why can't the MBTA hire enough bus drivers?

14 min

Since December 2021, the MBTA has been pushing an "aggressive" hiring campaign to bolster bus driver numbers to bring bus services back to pre-pandemic levels. Now they have fewer drivers than a year ago. Boston Globe Transportation Reporter Taylor Dolven joins The Common to discuss why the campaign failed, and how Boston's Black and Hispanic communities are paying the price. 

Since December 2021, the MBTA has been working on an "aggressive" hiring campaign to bolster driver numbers to bring bus services back to pre-pandemic levels. Now, in January 2023, they have fewer drivers than a year ago and bus services continue to be cut left and right. Boston Globe Transportation Reporter Taylor Dolven joins The Common to discuss why the campaign failed, and how Boston's Black and Hispanic communities are paying the price. 

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