LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An unassuming parking lot off Interstate 65 in Shepherdville is a TARC bus stop where riders including Jim Bobbitt catch the bus to their jobs in downtown Louisville daily.
"There's a lot of advantage to it financially as well as just the relaxation of riding into town without all the stress," Bobbitt said.
But right now, there's a problem. When they arrived from work at the stop Friday afternoon, riders Marsha Akuna, Joann McGee, Missy Burress, Laura Strevinsky and others all shared similar complaints.
"All of a sudden, now, we don't have drivers. We don't have buses. We don't know they're not coming, so we're standing out in the cold waiting," said Akuna.
The loyal riders said the problems started about a month ago, and they're so frequent that patrons don't know whether they'll have a ride from the Shepherdsville parking lot to work and back.
"We're paying for a service, but we're not getting a dependability that we should," Burress said.
A group of riders gets off a TARC bus at a Shepherdsville stop. (WDRB Photo)
All of them said communication from the Transit Authority of River City is lacking, too.
"It's almost non-existent," McGee said.
Right now, the transportation system is under the city's microscope.
Most recently, Metro Council voted to investigate TARC after several women alleged the now-former executive director, Ferdinand Risco, sexually harassed them.
Days before that, TARC dealt with the fallout of another scandal. While TARC 3 was transitioning from one vendor to another, it suffered a "decline in service" when some drivers went on strike because of a pay dispute. It left some riders with mental and physical disabilities without rides.
A TARC3 bus. (WDRB Photo)
In early February, TARC said it had taken steps to mitigate the problems.
However, Thursday, during a caucus meeting, some Democrats on the Council said their offices are still fielding calls about problems.
Councilman Brandon Coan, D-8, told the caucus he hopes TARC's new interim executive directors will come to his Public Works committee to answer questions on Tuesday afternoon.
Councilman Mark Fox, D-13, isn't on that committee but hopes the Council will hold TARC accountable as a whole.
"When the service is spotty and the answers are short, you know, that speaks to leadership," he said.
Even though Fox isn't fielding as many complaints about TARC disruptions lately, he said the Council is ready to step up and protect riders from mediocre service.
 Mayor Greg Fischer, TARC officials, and Southwest Louisville Metro Council celebrated the launch of the rapid transit service from TARC. It's part of the $35 million New Dixie Highway Project. Nine buses will provide 15-minute service during the week for people between the Snyder and Valley Station to downtown locations.
Those are comforting words to riders such as Burress.
"We don't want to put a bad taste against TARC, because we want TARC," she said. "We just want it to work."
Friday afternoon, an e-mail to TARC for comment wasn't returned.
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