Transit union says Metro shutdowns leave passengers “stranded and in danger”

“It’s a mess,” said one local bus driver yesterday on the first work day after Metro shut down six Blue and Yellow line stations south of National Airport. ATU Local 689 blamed poor management by General Manager Paul Wiedefeld for stranded passengers and delayed shuttle buses, saying that “We believe that issues like this are the inevitable result of attempts to privatize and contract out work that would be best handled by the hardworking, well-trained workers of Local 689.” The union says WMATA assured them that the shutdown would cause minimal disruptions and would not involve reassigning operators from regular routes, but with contractor-driven buses late or lost, “WMATA buses and operators are being pulled off of their regular routes to work on lines for the Yellow and Blue Line shutdowns.” Saying “It puts passengers and our operators at risk,” ATU 689 president Raymond Jackson called on WMATA to return all operators to their regular routes immediately.

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