Driver shortage forces COAST to cut back on some routes

PORTSMOUTH - COAST continues to struggle to find qualified CDL bus operators to drive their local public transit routes. The lack of qualified drivers has, regrettably, reached a point where the public transit system must temporarily adjust parts of some bus schedules further, the nonprofit transportation system announced this week.

After having to suspend a small number of services starting in mid-June, COAST will make additional, deeper service suspensions because in addition to already being short staffed, multiple staff who were available for the summer are soon returning to school, or school-based employment.

Additional Service Suspensions

Starting Aug. 28, services on the following bus routes will be affected:

• Route 12
• Route 13
• Route 14
• Route 33
• Route 40
• Route 43

For more information on the specific runs being suspended on each of the affected routes, please click on the outline of additional service adjustments link above. Schedule pages on the COAST website are in the process of being updated so they will display properly starting on Saturday, August 28.