Metro Transit

MetroBus continues to operate at reduced capacity, hampering the needs of St. Louis bus riders eager to get to work, school and appointments. Bi-State Development CEO Taulby Roach says recent hiring events and a new worker contract give him hope that bus and MetroLink services can be restored.

The new three-year deal includes 3% raises in each of the next two years, higher pay for later or busier bus routes and a $7,000 ratification bonus. Some or all of that bonus can be directed to a 401(k) retirement plan set up by Metro.

Metro Transit hopes to attract new mechanics, electricians and operators with a $5,000 signing bonus. In recent years, the agency has reduced routes because it didn’t have enough drivers. Officials say the incentives will help riders receive better service.

Metro Call-A-Ride reduced services in parts of St. Louis County in April, and officials cut more fixed bus routes in early June. Advocates for people with disabilities and riders say they want to have input before the agency makes any route changes.

Some Metro Call-A-Ride users who have depended on the service for decades will soon have to find alternatives, because the paratransit service is reducing routes in St. Louis County beginning April 10. One rider says she will lose her independence and miss out on social activities.

Advocates said it's hard for disabled people to find jobs and get to medical appointments without paratransit services that would be cut in some areas on April 10.

Metro Call-A-Ride paratransit services will reduce services in parts of St. Louis County starting next month. Metro officials say they need to cut routes to help reduce trip denials and phone reservation wait times. But advocates for people with disabilities worry that the reduced bus service will limit their independence.

Metro Transit and union leaders will meet with a federal mediator on Aug. 18 to try to reach an agreement on a new contract. Reginald Howard, the union’s president, said that workers want more pay to cope with inflation, the coronavirus pandemic and a wave of violence in the St. Louis region.

Behavioral health specialists have spent the past year serving riders on Metro Transit in the St. Louis region.

Metro East residents who have relied on the service will have to find other ways to get to baseball games in St. Louis this season.