Due to 'Sickout,' County Cancels Commuter Bus Runs

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A labor dispute has apparently led to the cancellation of part of Loudoun County’s commuter bus service this afternoon.

About 2,900 people ride on Loudoun’s commuter bus service, said Glen Barbour, a county spokesman. The cancellation affects a fraction of that ridership, he said, but he could not give a precise number of riders.

The county announced that the following runs have been cancelled due to ”a severe shortage” of drivers:

Runs From DC & Arlington County

Brambleton & Dulles North park & ride lots – Run #’s 651, 652D & 653D
Brambleton & Dulles South – Run # 604B
Dulles South – Run #608
Leesburg, Harmony & St Andrew – Run #’s 811 & 816
Telos, Ashburn North & CFC – Run # 505 – Important note – The 504 will pick up at Eads & 12th St and the Pentagon in addition to its normal stops.
Dulles North Transit Center – Run # 707 – Important note – the 510 will drop off at Dulles North in addition to CFC, Ashburn North & Telos

Runs from the West Falls Church Metro Station

Broad Run, Cascades, Our Lady of Hope & Lowes Island – Runs 902 @ 4:10 PM, 5:30 PM and 6:55 PM out of the WFC Metro station

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.

On Wednesday morning, 16 drivers called in sick unexpectedly, the county said, and Transdev has called the unexpected low attendance a “sickout.”

Transdev said six of those 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.

The county says many of the remaining buses Wednesday afternoon are likely to be crowded, and has asked commuters to be patient with the drivers and fellow passengers.

Possible Service Changes for Thursday Morning

County officials said there will be a conference call at 4 a.m. Thursday morning to determine if any cancellations will be necessary for the morning rush hour. 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.