County: Commuter Bus Service Returns to Normal

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Image: Commuter buses serve about 2,900 riders in the area (Loudoun County).

Commuter bus service returned to normal Thursday morning in Loudoun County after a “sickout” by some drivers forced the cancellation of bus runs on Wednesday, say county officials.

Drivers showed up and things went well Thursday morning, said Glen Barbour, a county spokesman. No cancellations of any routes are anticipated.

Should any cancellations be needed, county staff will send that information out via LC Alert, SV Alert and the Bus Biz email system. Sign up for the alerts and Bus Biz here.

More on Patch: Due to ‘Sickout,’ County Cancels Commuter Bus Runs

Loudoun County contracts with a company called Transdev for its commuter bus service, and Transdev has 77 drivers, including 22 who are members of the Teamsters union, Barbour said. The buses carry about 2,900 riders per day.

On Wednesday morning, 16 drivers called in sick unexpectedly, and Transdev called the unexpected low attendance a “sickout.” Transdev said six drivers are members of Teamsters Local 570. Over the past six months, the union and Transdev have been negotiating over a new collective bargaining agreement to replace one that expired.

In a letter posted on the county’s website,Transdev apologized to riders for Wednesday’s cancellations, and said that leaders of Teamsters Local 570 told the company that they did not sanction the sickout.

Riders who have questions may contact Loudoun County staff by email or by phone at 1-877-GO-LCBUS (1-877-465-2287).