MEDFORD, Ore. —Rogue Valley Transportation District has not yet mandated the vaccine for its drivers. But that could all be changing soon, potentially sending many away, impacting public transit.
A member of RVTD’s board motioned to require the vaccine for all RVTD employees on August 25th. While the board voted it down 5 to 2, the discussion isn’t over. Of the district’s 66 drivers, 35 are not vaccinated. In a survey, RVTD found that 24 out of the 35 unvaccinated drivers would rather be fired than get the vaccine.
“If I lose the 24 drivers, I could lose 30% of my service so what does that mean to the people who depend on us, that means cutting routes, cutting days, cutting hours,” said RVTD Manager, Julie Brown.
The board will discuss the topic again on September 29th, at its next board meeting.
Brown plans present more to the board, about the impact the loss of drivers would mean to the organization.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.