TARC officials working to make sure more buses arrive at their stops on time

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Around 25 percent of TARC buses don't make it to their stops on time, but company officials say they're working to make the fleet more reliable.

Tiffany Caudell depends on TARC buses to get her to and from work on most days, but lately she hasn't been able to get there on time.

"It's getting me late to work, it's getting others late to work and I don't think that's fair," she said.

Caudell also says there are times when she has waited for a bus that never arrived.

Tiffany Caudell, TARC rider — Pictured: in this image grab taken from video TARC rider Tiffany Caudell talks the buses falling behind schedule, causing her to be late for work. (WDRB photo)

"They don't let us know the bus isn't gonna show up," Caudell said. "Last Saturday I sat on the bus stop for an hour-and-a half."

It's frustrating to Caudell that getting to work on time is out of her control.

TARC officials are aware of Caudell's frustration, and realize most riders agree. A recent survey showed on-time performance is a top priority. "On time" means arriving at a stop no more than two minutes early or six minutes late.

Currently, on average, fewer than 75 percent of buses make it to their stops within that window.

TARC officials said a lot of the slowdowns begin when riders are being picked up, when people take longer than usual to pay. That can throw drivers behind schedule.

"Dropping 175 pennies in our fare box can cause delays," TARC Executive Director Carrie Butler said.

Officials blame a changing labor market and unpredictable traffic patterns for making it harder to manage buses.

Ridership is down about 40 percent from what it was before the pandemic.

Butler said there have been "a wave of retirements with baby boomers."

Hiring staff has also been a challenge. TARC is currently short 20 drivers, and is looking for nearly a dozen mechanics.

"We know how frustrating it is to the customers, and we want them to know we are taking it seriously and taking actions for it, Butler said.

Some of those actions include changing the way the transit service monitors buses. TARC is opening a line of communication between employees at its headquarters and drivers in real time to keep buses on track.

They're calling it "air traffic control."

TARC also offers real time bus tracking on an app called Transit.

In the next six months, TARC will start mobile ticketing to make boarding faster.

Over the next few years it will begin phasing in a new bus tracking system in an effort to make the journey a bit smoother for riders like Caudell who feels "running 10 and 15 minutes behind is kind of crazy."

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