Meramec students affected by changing routes, future Metro bus changes
By: Eve Cohen, Staff Writer
On Monday, Aug. 26, many Meramec students waited more than two hours for a bus that was never going to come. The cause for delays was a massive shortage of drivers commencing on Sunday, Aug. 25, an MLB game day. Announcements broadcast on Metro’s trains and platforms warned all passengers to expect delays.
As it turned out, drivers were staging an improvised strike for increased wages, affecting not just the one in five students reported as commuters, according to MetroStLouis.org, but also the community as a whole.
A Metro driver, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, maintained that Metro employees are prohibited from staging a formal strike. Though, that did not stop what some reports estimate to be 50 operators from devising an alternate strategy. They simply didn’t show up for work, prompting the company to go into a sort of transit triage.
In a larger city, the impact would have been devastating. However, St. Louis seemed to take it in stride. Although local news stations covered the “walk-out,” the St. Louis Post Dispatch made no mention of it. However, it is not the first protest, nor will it be the last. An online post by Fox 2 Now St. Louis reporter Joe Millitzer confirms an unofficial strike took place on Monday, July 22.
Moreover, anticipating the sudden, unannounced disappearance of a large chunk of Metro bus and train operators is hardly the only concern for public transit travelers. Effective Monday Sept. 30, Metro is rolling out its “New Service Plan,” a system-wide re-organization of all of Metro’s Missouri routes. Six routes have been all-together discontinued and 19 have been replaced. In addition, a large number of routes will gain an increase in frequency.
According to Metro, the changes follow two and a half years of public hearings, including a 14-month feedback period after the final plan was submitted.
Students with concerns can contact Metro customer service at 314-207- 9786, (Monday through Friday from 7am. – 6pm.) or email the company at customerservice@metrostlouis.org. To see route maps or schedules, visit Metrostlouis.org/reimagined.
