Edmonton transit to temporarily reduce bus frequency due to driver COVID-19 vaccination rates – Edmonton
Edmonton Transit Service will probably be briefly chopping again the frequency of bus service by about three per cent due to the variety of drivers who haven’t been vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19.
In a information convention on Thursday, spokesperson Carrie Hotton-MacDonald mentioned there are about 51 ETS bus drivers who haven’t been vaccinated however have opted to take part within the fast testing program.
About 15 drivers haven’t complied with town’s necessary vaccination coverage and have additionally declined to take part within the fast testing program. These workers will probably be positioned on an unpaid go away of absence.
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The town is already within the means of discovering new drivers to work in order that common bus service may be restored.
“Our coaching plan had included getting 12 extra operators by the top of the 12 months,” Hotton-MacDonald mentioned. “We’ve upped that to 26.”
The ETS operator coaching takes six weeks, she added.
In whole, there are about 1,700 ETS operators for bus, LRT and on-demand providers.
LRT and DATS service won’t be impacted in any respect, Hotton-MacDonald mentioned. Roughly 99 per cent of LRT workers complied with the necessary vaccination coverage and there aren’t any service impacts anticipated.
Resulting from operator vaccination charges, bus service will probably be lowered by about three per cent beginning Monday, Nov. 1.
Whereas “each effort is being made” to unfold the frequency adjustments equally throughout town, passengers must be ready for doable longer waits, Hotton-MacDonald mentioned.
The web ETS device and 311 will probably be up to date Monday and the ETS route website will probably be up to date to replicate the adjustments later Thursday.
Throughout peak occasions, no route will see lower than a 30-minute frequency, Hotton-MacDonald mentioned. Solely 9 routes have 10 or extra lowered journeys on weekday schedules, she added.
“Your bus route isn’t being cancelled. What you’ll see is a short lived change to how typically your bus runs.”
In September, town introduced it might be implementing a COVID-19 vaccination coverage for all Metropolis of Edmonton workers.
By Oct. 31, workers will need to have obtained two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and submitted proof.
All workers are required to be absolutely vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19 (two weeks after receiving the ultimate dose of a COVID-19 vaccine) by Nov. 15.
Workers who usually are not absolutely vaccinated by then have two choices: both take part in a twice-weekly Well being Canada-approved COVID-19 fast antigen check on the worker’s personal expense (and on the worker’s personal time) or be positioned on go away with out pay.
Hotton-MacDonald mentioned ETS has been proactively reaching out “encouraging and supporting workers” relating to the vaccine coverage and the union has additionally been “very supportive” and “useful to work with.”
She mentioned she’s “actually optimistic” that ETS will have the ability to return to common bus service “undoubtedly by the top of the 12 months… hopefully sooner.”
When figuring out which bus routes can be lowered, ETS checked out frequency of service, variety of journeys operating, maintaining frequency of service not less than each half-hour throughout peak hours, the demand for journeys, and didn’t need to affect college specials in any respect.
Metropolis of Edmonton workers
When town introduced its necessary vaccine coverage in September, it requested workers to reveal in the event that they’d been immunized or not. As of Sept. 13, town mentioned 86 per cent of workers responded, and 72 per cent of workers indicated they had been absolutely vaccinated.
Cyndil Taylor, department supervisor of workforce security, mentioned Thursday that as of Oct. 27, 92 per cent had been partially or absolutely vaccinated. As of Oct. 27, throughout the group, 88 per cent of metropolis workers had been absolutely vaccinated and 4 per cent had been partially vaccinated, which is about 92 per cent of the workforce.
“This coverage has made an actual distinction.”
She mentioned the vaccination price amongst metropolis workers has grown “exponentially” in the previous couple of months. There aren’t any anticipated impacts for metropolis providers like rec centres, improvement permits or taxation.
Workers who haven’t supplied proof of double vaccination by Nov. 1 must adjust to the fast testing program.
“We consider that our workers are going to be compliant with this subsequent step, which is fast testing,” Taylor mentioned Thursday. In the event that they don’t present a unfavorable fast check earlier than their shift?
“They’ll be positioned on go away with out pay.”
Roughly 980 metropolis workers members haven’t reported their vaccination standing. Taylor mentioned town isn’t offering a breakdown by department.
Edmonton Fireplace Rescue Providers
Edmonton Fireplace Chief Joe Zatylny mentioned 90 per cent of EFRS members have obtained each COVID-19 photographs.
Of the remaining 10 per cent, three per cent have obtained one dose of vaccine and 7 per cent are unvaccinated.
Zatylny mentioned the hearth division has been in direct contact with these seven per cent and the “majority” have already agreed to participate within the fast testing program.
“There’s a handful of our front-line employees who’re nonetheless contemplating,” he mentioned. “We’re working with them. Virtually all have already determined they’ll take part in fast testing.”
EFRS will make changes as wanted and doesn’t anticipate any staffing or service challenges, Zatylny mentioned.
“We do have contingencies in place,” he added.
“At Edmonton Fireplace Rescue Providers, security is and all the time will probably be our prime precedence.”
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