(Bloomberg) -- Los Angeles's public transit operator is temporarily cutting bus and train service by about 12% due to a shortage of drivers in the second-largest U.S. city.
Hobbled by the pandemic, LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is trying to fill a shortfall of 500 bus drivers and it's offering $3,000 signing bonuses as an enticement, according to a statement on Thursday. The reduced schedule will start Sunday and last through at least June 26.
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The service cuts will mean fewer of the sporadic cancellations or delays that riders have been experiencing in recent weeks, according to the statement. LA Metro resumed collecting bus fares in January, after waiving the fee at the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
Ridership hasn't yet bounced back on the Metro system, with 685,000 weekday passengers boarding in January -- about half the pre-Covid level two years ago.
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