JACKSON, Wyo. — Starting Monday, Nov. 2, START is temporarily suspending the 5:35 a.m. departure from Driggs and the 6:05 p.m. departure from Jackson on its Teton Valley Commuter Route due to a shortage of drivers.
The reduction is expected to last through November due to staffing levels and training needs. The two suspended trips were chosen because they have the lowest ridership.
According to a letter from Town of Jackson Transit Director Mike Toronto, START has spent the past two months advertising and recruiting for commuter drivers but has filled only one of four open positions on the route. There is one offer out to fill the second position.
Toronto explains in the letter that once offers are accepted, housing and training new employees can take three to four weeks.
“It is not lost on us that people will be negatively impacted,” Toronto wrote in the letter. “We know this is a major inconvenience for those that rely on these trips and we want you to know that this decision is being made as a last resort.”
START noted that the suspension is not tied to recent funding shortages. The trips will be reinstated as soon as staffing allows.
Riders who bought a November pass they can no longer use can contact info@STARTBus.com for a partial or full refund.
If START can’t hire enough drivers by December, they will consider fallback options, such as contracting out the service or shifting affected riders to its new vanpool program. START is asking impacted commuters to review the vanpool program on its website and email by Nov. 5 to say how likely they would be to sign up if it replaced the suspended trips.
