Drivers for GATRA, the transit system that provides bus service to Plymouth residents, have voted to strike — saying their pay is so low that some of them are forced to live in their cars.
Charles Ryan, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1548, on Tuesday said he’s sorry if a stoppage inconveniences riders, but “it’s necessary for these people to get a decent paycheck. Prices are going up. Heating costs are going up. We’re just asking for what we deserve.”
GATRA – which stands for the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority – and its contractor, Kiessling Transit of Attleboro, provides regular and on-demand bus service for riders from 30 communities, including Plymouth, Pembroke, Scituate, and Wareham.
According to GATRA’s 2024 annual report, Plymouth customers took more than 77,000 rides on the authority’s regular bus lines — ridership numbers second only to the Attleboro-Taunton area.
And GATRA GO, a curb-to-curb service, was used by nearly 14,000 riders. That service is available to residents along the Plymouth coastline to Sagamore Beach.
The town pays an annual assessment to help cover the cost of the transit authority, which also receives federal and state funding. Plymouth’s fiscal year 2026 assessment is $489,606. GATRA is one of 15 regional transit authorities that provide service to residents outside of the MBTA’s service area.
Ryan said many Plymouth residents rely on the bus service, including those who don’t own a car.
“We take a lot of senior citizens to the senior center, the library, the doctor’s office for appointments, grocery shopping. We take people for kidney dialysis,” he said.
A strike would be a “disaster” for people who depend on the buses, said Select Board member Kevin Canty.
“The ridership numbers make it clear that many Plymouth residents depend on this essential service as a vital component of their daily lives,” he said.
Ryan said the union, which also represents mechanics and support staff, has met 13 times with management representatives, but reached a stalemate over wages and a few other contract provisions, including health insurance.
The union has been warning about a possible strike since June and finally took a vote in August. On Sept. 19, when the company refused to increase its wage proposal, the union informed GATRA and Kiessling officials that it intended to strike, Ryan said.
No date has been set for the work stoppage but it will likely begin next week, he said
GATRA, Ryan said, is one of the lowest paying regional transit authorities in the state.
Drivers’ pay starts at $24 an hour and increases to $31.50 an hour after five years, he said.
By contrast, he said, drivers for the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority earn $30 an hour when they are hired and it increases to almost $35 after 90 days.
The union has asked GATRA for a pay hike of $1.79 an hour, but management is offering only $1.28 an hour more, Ryan said.
The job, he said, can be extremely dangerous. Bus drivers get assaulted, spit on, and badgered, he said.
“We’re asking for a couple of dollars more to do a dangerous job and they don’t want to give it to you,” Ryan said.
In a statement, GATRA and Kiessling said they have “engaged at all times, in good faith bargaining with the union.”
“We are committed to continuing to work with the union to resolve the remaining items in the best interest of GATRA’s workforce so that a strike can be avoided. It is our goal to ensure safe and reliable transit services continue uninterrupted for passengers throughout the region,” the statement said.
In a news release, the union said that it is available to meet with the company at “any time in the hope of coming to an agreement.”
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.