Challenges in finding drivers delaying trolley expansion

A trolley with The Woodlands trolley system is seen along Lake Woodlands Drive, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. A trolley with The Woodlands trolley system is seen along Lake Woodlands Drive, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Challenges in finding drivers delaying trolley expansion 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Difficulty in finding qualified drivers is delaying plans to offer expanded trolley service in The Woodlands.

Officials with The Woodlands Township said despite advertisements for trolley drivers and additional efforts to find drivers, it's not known when enough new drivers would be hired to navigate the township's trolleys on the longer route.

As of Jan. 15, it was not clear how many-if any-drivers had been hired, but transit program manager Chris LaRue had said previously that by the last week in December, not a single driver had been offered a job. LaRue did not return telephone calls on Friday, Jan. 12, seeking an update on the hiring attempts, or of a possible start date for the expansion, but Don Norrell, the township's president and general manager, acknowledged their was no target date.

"It all goes back to that driver issue and making sure we can cover the service," Norrell said.

The delay in expanding the service comes after the township's Board of Directors had voted in October in favor of expanding the trolley route from its current 3.1-mile run to a 4.8-mile route that would include new service to Hughes Landing. The longer route, when it is in service, will also add five new stops.

After the board's approval of the expanded service, LaRue had initially said the longer route was expected to be up and running around the end of 2017, or the beginning of 2018.

But without the new drivers, township officials could not say when the expanded service will be offered.

"We're ready to go, we just don't have any drivers," LaRue said previously. "Hiring new drivers is a challenge."

Even though only four new drivers are needed to have the "system fully staffed," LaRue said as the year came to a close only one candidate was going through the hiring process, which includes background checks and other procedural steps. It was not clear if any additional candidates have since been identified.

LaRue and Norrell noted that officials from Brazos Transit District-the actual operator of the trolleys-hires the drivers for the trolley system.

Competition for higher paying driving jobs, including in the oil industry, as well as a limited number of qualified drivers, is being blamed the lack of success in finding drivers. The trolley jobs pay $14 an hour, officials said.

"It's been frustrating, LaRue had previously admitted. "We're working hard to try to get them on board."

Meanwhile, as the efforts continue to find new drivers, there's no shortage of people who want to take advantage of the free trolley rides.

According to township figures, 10,443 people rode the trolleys in November, compared to 7,444 people in November of 2016. Ridership numbers for December, 2017, were expected to be available during the first month of January, with LaRue expecting a similar increase for the month compared to 2016 data.

"We're making sure we roll out the right thing," he said of the delay in expanding the service.

When the trolleys are finally running along the longer route, 50 percent of the estimated $894,300 cost to pay for the expansion would be reimbursed to the township from the federal government through a grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The money to pay for what the federal government doesn't cover would come from excess hotel occupancy (HOT) taxes collected by the township.