Back in July the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) awarded Keolis Transit Services LLC a five year contract to operate its OmniRide bus services, effective November 1, 2020. As today begins the transition process, there are still underlying issues that has yet to be resolved at PRTC. Last month former PRTC employee Kenneth Jones spoke with the PW Perspective to reveal allegations of discrimination, mismanagement of funds and sexual assault reports.

Over the past few months we met with Chapter Chair of the Woodbridge PRTC Union Gwendolyn Robinson, who represents the bus operators and technicians. Robinson provided a list of grievances, in particular about employees not receiving promised bonuses, such as sign-on bonuses after 1 year of employment. On August 12, 2020 she wrote a letter to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors detailing both the lack of receiving bonuses as well as bus operators not being provided 100% of PTO or informed that they owe the company PTO. The letter requested that PRTC re-evaluate their options for providing PTO. In addition, Robinson reported that annual bonuses are supposed to be awarded in separate disbursements, but to date those bonuses have yet to be received. She has reason to believe that annual bonus funds have been fraudulently misappropriated. There has yet to be a response from the BOCS on this issue.

Robinson was not the only one who reported issues at PRTC. Several dispatchers (who each requested anonymity) spoke with the PW Perspective as well about what they experienced over the years. Among their grievances as follows:

• PRTC Supervisor Todd Johnson refusing to release interim General Manager Mustapha Ferdjani from the dispatch office after emails were sent from employees detailing verbal harassment, threats and intimidation.
• Another dispatcher informed that while they were not receiving bonuses in an effort to save money, new items were purchased such as kitchen supplies and carpeting.
• Employees bus schedules significantly changed, putting the majority of the bus routes on only a handful of drivers, leaving them overwhelmed without assistance.
• Dispatchers were told to lie about the environmental inspections such as water samples, disposal, spills, etc. Also to lie about inventory and stock so it would match corporate expectations/requirements.

On Sept. 10, 2020 a dispatcher had prearranged to take a personal day off. That same day, other dispatch workers and employees had gathered for a peaceful strike/demonstration to air their grievances to the company. They were demanding the right to use their sick leave and vacation days. He decided to join their demonstration. The next day the HR department tried to get the dispatcher to sign a paper saying that he disrupted bus service and that if he did it again he’d be reprimanded. He did not sign the document saying since he’d already prearranged the personal day off, and wasn’t doing anything to disturb service.

According to Robinson, this has been a consistent theme within PRTC, and barring significant change from the top down with the Keolis transition, or pressure from county officials, more of the same will remain.