A New Normal

As senior centers begin to reopen and demand for public transportation continues to grow, we are working to increase trip availability. Social distancing policies have ended, and our vehicles are back to full capacity; however, our fleet is still heavily reduced. We're currently running only about twenty vehicles each day, whereas in 2019, we were running 40+ vehicles daily.

Management is doing everything they can to hire and train qualified drivers as quickly as possible; but we're experiencing the same difficulties that every other business has been experiencing in regard to the labor shortage, a challenge which has been exacerbated by the fact that our federal funding has been reduced each of the past three years.

Please continue to be patient with us as we work to hire qualified drivers and put more vehicles on the road. Trip availability should steadily improve over the course of the next several months. Before COVID-19, 2020 was on track to be our most productive year yet, with more trips performed than ever before. Our mission has not changed, and it is still our goal to increase the quantity and quality of paratransit service provided in the Greater Birmingham area. As the communities we serve work toward establishing a new normal, ClasTran will be there to meet the need.

ClasTran Board Makes It Official

Shari Spencer holds an MBA and has served as ClasTran's Assistant Executive Director for the past five years and as Interim Executive Director since October of last year. ClasTran's Board of Directors officially named her as Executive Director on June 26, knocking "Interim" off her title and expressing their confidence in her leadership.

The Board is optimistic about ClasTran's future with Executive Director Spencer at the helm, and the staff is excited to see her take on the role.

So far under her leadership, ClasTran has implemented new, state-of-the-art trip scheduling software that has led to increased on-time performance and organizational efficiency. More service improvements are slated for release in 2020, including the launch of a redesigned website and more.

COVID-19: What You Need To Know

We are glad to provide essential travel for those who need it. But as new cases of coronavirus continue to rise, we want to make sure that we're doing everything we can to keep you safe on our vehicles. We're taking necessary precautions to limit the risk of exposure, and there are things you can do as well.

We reduced the capacity of our vehicles by 75% to allow appropriate social distancing. Our drivers are wearing masks and sanitizing the vehicles before and after each stop. All customers are required to wear a mask and encouraged to wear gloves or bring hand sanitizer. If you are sick, you cannot ride. If a customer tests positive for COVID-19, we are providing contact tracing for other customers who may have been exposed, either directly or indirectly.

Providing essential transportation is our number one goal, and we aim to do that safely and efficiently. If you have any further questions or concerns about using our service during the pandemic, please contact us during business hours.