Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Buffalo Transit Workers United (BTRU), a constituency organization of Coalition for Economic Justice (CEJ) working with community leaders to hold the NFTA (Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority) accountable through united community efforts, met on Wednesday at Buffalo's Freedom Wall for a late celebration of Transit Equity Day.
Transit Equity Day is a collaborative effort of several organizations and unions across the United States coming together to promote public transit as a civil right and a strategy to combat climate change.
One of the most prevalent issues discussed during the gathering in Buffalo was the bus driver shortage that is still a prevalent problem in our nation.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1342 President Jeffery Richardson says in the last few years, they are down 250 members, comprised of bus operators, mechanics and train operators. In addition, the NFTA paratransit system is also down a significant amount of operators, according to Richardson.
"I'm in Albany all the time lobbying, trying to get more money, trying to get more funding. But when this funding comes in, we need it to go to the right places, to the people that are in the inner city. We can always take care of those people out in the suburbs, we need to take care of the people that's within the inner city who really needs the bus and the needs the transportation," said Richardson.
Jamal Davis, Coalition for Economic Justice Transit Organizer for the BTRU Campaign is looking at the nearly $1 billion dollar Kensington Expressway cover-up project.
"We want to ask the question, 'Is this the most adequate way that we can use funding?' Because that money could be used to hire more bus drivers and improve the transportation system work or add more bike lanes as well as help fund other transportation projects in the area."
"We have to have more conversations about what the needs are for these communities, and let us pay attention to where the money is going and where it's not, because where it's not is where there needs to be equity," added Dennice Barr.
One current effort as far as action goes for transit equity and solutions for the NFTA is the supporting of oral fluid drug testing of transit drivers.
"On June 1 of last year, the FTA (Federal Transit Authority) changed their rulings which will allow for oral fluid testing to be acceptable for hiring process and onboarding," explains Davis.
"Here in New York State, cannabis is a legal substance. The oral assessment allows them to identify usage of cannabis between a 24 to 48 hour timeframe opposed to the urine and hair sample which shows cannabis lasting in someone's system for up to 30 days. It gives us a more accurate depiction on someone's use of cannabis. Now that the FTA is allowing transit authorities to use this form of testing, we have been advocating [for it] and to their credit, NFTA has been in support of this."
Davis explains that BTRU is in the process of getting this rule change to be applicable to the NFTA by getting labs in the region certified through the Department of Health and Human Services.
"Labs and regions such as Quest Diagnosis and others have already applied, we're just waiting for them to get the certification. Once they get the certification, that would allow the NFTA, when they're going through the onboarding process for the drivers for the operators, that will allow for a more accurate form of testing to determine whether or not someone has been under the influence of cannabis."
What will this do in turn?
"This will have direct impact on the driver shortage that we see happening across the country. It will allow for an NFTA to hire more operators at a much quicker pace," explains Davis.