Berrien County is taking on some of the functions of a private company that handled operations of Berrien Bus as that company shuts down. The Berrien County Board of Commissioners was told last month Transportation Management Incorporated is closing at the end of June. That would have left the county with no staff to run Berrien Bus. So, the board voted on Thursday to create some new employee classifications to bring in drivers, dispatchers, and maintenance technicians so Berrien Bus can continue operations. Commissioner Teri Freehling noted the move is temporary.
“There are a lot of residents who are dependent on Berrien Bus to be able to be transported, and right now, with everything going on with COVID, we are at about 25% operations,” Freehling said. “Our wish is to continue to provide the services. This is the best solution that we can find.”
The county will hire staff employed by Transportation Management Incorporated so Berrien Bus can operate. The goal is to have a long-term plan to maintain mass transit by the end of the year.
