Paul Bass Photo
See you later, First Transit. Welcome aboard, RATP Dev USA.
That turnstiling took place this week on New Haven’s CTtransit buses.
First Transit, a private transportation company that was purchased this past fall by the North American subsidy of Transdev Group S.A., chose not to bid to renew its contract to manage the 1,250 employees responsible for operating the 520 buses that cover 95 local routes (plus eight downtown shuttles and 13 express routes) in New Haven, Hartford and Stamford.
A company called RATP Dev USA won the right to take the wheel instead. This week it began a four-year $7.3 million contract for the job with the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), which has the option of renewing it twice for two years at a time.
The management change will not mean any pay or other changes for the region’s unionized bus drivers, according to CTDOT spokesperson Josh Morgan. Nor will routes or fares or schedules be affected, he said.
And the public will still deal most directly with CTDOT: “Members of the public should contact CTtransit Customer Service directly with any questions, comments, or concerns using the online form or the phone numbers listed at CTtransit.com,” Morgan stated.
New Haven’s drivers haven’t yet met the new general manager RATP has installed to replace the previous boss, according to Ralph Buccitti, president for the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 281. He said most of the assistant managers with whom the drivers deal have remained in place.
Buccitti, and drivers interviewed on board local buses Tuesday, said they haven’t noticed any changes yet.
The new company does inherit some challenges, Buccitti said. He cited driver turnover as one example: CTtransit has filled many slots with drivers who used to work for school bus companies. Accustomed to weekday schedules, many of those new drivers have left after having trouble adjusting to late-night, weekend, or holiday shifts, Buccitti observed.
“I don’t have the solution. That’s the problem,” he said.
Drivers start at just under $25 an hour and earn up to $33.15, according to Buccitti.
Also, newly unionized salary workers in the state customer service and payroll departments are in the process of negotiating a first contract.
“Members of the public should contact CTtransit Customer Service directly with any questions, comments, or concerns using the online form or the phone numbers listed at CTtransit.com,”
Unfortunately it is hard to connect to a human any more and the App simply doesn't work.
I think it takes a high level of skill to both drive a bus, especially in the anarchy of New Haven roads, AND respond kindly and sensitively to passengers with health and mobility challenges. $33 an hour sounds like it should be a training rate and not the salary commensurate with the huge responsibilities bus drivers take on.
How much do Metro North employees make in comparison? If someone knows, please post. I do know they have very generous pension plans.