Pittsburgh Bus Crisis: Drivers Out, Free Service Added

PITTSBURGH, PA — Public transit service in the Pittsburgh area is being disrupted Wednesday after a number of Port Authority of Allegheny County drivers are off the job because are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

"A reminder for riders that we anticipate a higher number of (routes) out of service than usual," the authority stated via Twitter Wednesday morning.

Nearly 200 drivers were told to stay home today because they have not been fully vaccinated. The authority's deadline for receiving the vaccine was Tuesday.

Because of the service disruptions, the authority will not be collecting fares for the next five days.

"We understand that the decision to require all of our employees to be vaccinated is creating a staffing shortage and less than predictable service.," an authority tweet stated.

"That's why, beginning this morning, we stopped collecting fares. That will continue through the end of service on Sunday. It's our way to say that we see you, we hear you, and we value you.

"Sometimes, even the right decisions can be difficult to make. Our job is get you where you're going safely."

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