North Central Area Transit has about 56 employees. Most are bus drivers and many of them work part time. Ottawa City Commissioner Wayne Eichelkraut would like to hire more, but NCAT’s having trouble starting new routes. The supply chain troubles are to blame. To start new routes and hire the drivers for them requires new buses. Like nearly every other vehicle, there are production slowdowns.
Eichelkraut says NCAT can order buses, but there’s no guarantee on when they’ll come. Keeping older vehicles running is more important now, because replacing one takes so long.