County transit authority operating its own bus service
Westmoreland commissioners have given the county's transit authority unprecedented permission to operate its own bus service after the private company hired last week on an interim basis suddenly pulled out of the job.
Buses have continued to run for the last week as authority officials scrambled to hire drivers and mechanics to keep service in full operation, according to transit authority Executive Director Larry Morris.
"The service has been running, and there have been no disruptions," Morris said.
Last week, board members fired the authority's bus operator, Edenfield Transit, over concerns that the company's ongoing financial woes, namely tax liens and a bankruptcy, would have prevented it from operating the service.
As a result, the authority formally hired Lodestar Bus Lines to take over a five-year, $10.6 million contract to operate the transit service. Lodestar already had a small contract to operate several of the authority's rural routes.
A day after the hiring, Lodestar pulled out. With no other options available, the authority sought permission to operate its own service until another private company could be hired, Morris said.
That action required the county commissioners on Nov. 25 to sign off on an emergency declaration to amend the authority's charter, which had required it to hire private bus operators.
"The county commissioners and WCTA mutually acknowledge that in the absence of an available transportation service provider willing and able to contract with WCTA to assume responsibility for the services previously provided by Edenfield Transit, commuters who rely on WCTA buses for transportation between the county of Westmoreland and adjoining counties will be left without any means for public transportation if bus drivers are not able to be hired and paid by WCTA," the declaration states.
The authority runs 17 daily bus routes, including its popular commuter service to Pittsburgh.
Morris said the unionized drivers and mechanics who had worked for Edenfield Transit have been hired by the authority under their existing labor contract.
There is no timetable for the authority to hire another private company. County Solicitor R. Mark Gesalman said the emergency declaration gives the authority power to operate the service indefinitely.
"It's in everybody's interest for it to be the shortest period possible, but we left it open-ended," Gesalman said.
Edenfield Transit was hired in 2006, a year after taking over the authority's bus service on an interim basis after the authority prematurely terminated its contract with another provider. Edenfield was one of five companies that bid on the service in 2006, according to authority Solicitor John O'Connell.
Morris said yesterday he is confident that the authority evenually will be able to find another private company to operate the bus service.
"I think there will be others out there who are interested in doing it," he said.
