COVID-19 causing Calgary Transit staffing shortages, route changes, cancellations – Calgary | Globalnews.ca

If you’re a transit commuter in Calgary, you may want to double check your bus route in the weeks to come.

Calgary Transit says the COVID-19 Omicron variant is spreading through the organization and impacting staffing levels.

Which in turn, has lead to some service changes.

Several routes will be adjusted starting Monday morning.

Mike Mahar, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 583 said about 150 runs were cancelled as of mid-week last week when nearly 100 drivers called in sick — a first for Calgary Transit.

“The sick list is probably double what it would normally be and even 30 or 40 per cent higher than what it’s been at the highest point of the pandemic,” Mahar said.

Mahar added 450 transit workers were laid off during the pandemic because of low ridership, with many people working from home.

He said many were never replaced.

“Because of COVID and some of the city policies that were implemented in the last two years we’ve had attrition like never before.

“We had probably 125 people leave in 2021 and similar number in 2020. So they’re very short staffed.”

“They’ve been running on massive amounts of over time every day of the week for well over a year. There’s no more wiggle room, there’s no more stretch.”

Calgary Transit is advising users to check their routes for the most accurate and up-to-date schedules.

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