SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A recent decision to explore outsourcing some of Utah Transit Authority’s supplemental and seasonal services was met with protest and frustration by employees on Wednesday morning, May 8.
Several UTA operators and employees voiced their concerns after a memo was sent out saying the company could be procuring third-party vendors to assist with services such as the Ski Bus, bus bridges, and bus shows.
Calli Tuttle, a bus operator in Ogden, was one of the employees who picketed and voiced her opinion. She called the memo a slap to the face. She told ABC4.com that the extra work, overtime, and chance to help serve the community are the majority of the reasons why she and her coworkers do the job.
“We have people who trust us to go up those mountains. They trust us with their lives to go up those snowbanks and it’s going to ruin all of it,” said Tuttle. “Those people aren’t going to ride UTA anymore if it’s outsourced.”
UTA clarified with ABC4 that the current workforce wasn’t going to be replaced with outsourced services. In a statement, the company said the goal was only to improve supplemental services on an “as-need basis.” UTA also said nothing has been sent to any third-party vendors and the company is still in an “exploratory stage.”
“UTA has not received any bids. UTA does not know at this point if it will receive bids. Nor does UTA know the exact scope of the supplemental services which might be offered and discussed,” The company said in a statement. “The hope is a solution can be found to mitigate the fluctuations UTA experiences in staffing needs, supervisor workloads, and vehicle maintenance demands that accompany ski bus service.”
However, operators are still concerned about their hours. Tommy Nunez told ABC4 that he and his coworkers aren’t tired or strained and are ready to work above the call and standards for their jobs.
“Whenever there is a bus rodeo, there is a bus bridge, a special event, [or] ski service, we are here to serve the community,” said Nunez. “To have these outside companies come in, they don’t know these roads like we do.”
Nunez said he answers every call for extra work saying not only does he love to serve the community, but he needs the money. Nunez said his current paycheck isn’t enough to cover the rising living costs such as gas and food. He said as the company’s frontline employees who interact with every rider UTA serves, the money that would go to a third-party vendor should go to them.
For others, it’s just about having a passion for what they do.
“I love what I do and all my brothers and sisters we love and we have a passion for serving our communities,” Josh Memea, a UTA bus operator told ABC4.com. “We just want our management to know what we are willing to work and just to keep the work here at UTA.”
UTA said the company already outsources some supplemental services just like any other major market. Services such as the paratransit service in Utah County and the Via On-Demand service are serviced through third-party vendors.
