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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will reduce bus services in less than two weeks in response to the nation’s labor shortage of drivers.

MBTA announced on Tuesday that it will reduce about 1 out of every 20 scheduled bus trips in winter. High-traffic bus routes serving key traffic communities will continue to be given priority.

According to traffic authorities, Route 111 will adopt a new simplified service model to provide all services to and from Woodlawn, which will help reduce bus congestion and uneven passenger load. This winter, Route 62 and Route 76 will resume service during peak working hours.

Many MBTA bus routes will increase operating frequency, some routes will decrease operating frequency, and some routes will increase and decrease operating frequency according to the time of day. The Silver Line 1 service will also change.

The winter service changes will take effect on December 19.

“Like other transportation systems across the country, MBTA also faces major challenges in attracting the workforce needed to meet service demands,” MBTA general manager Steve Poftak said in a statement. "These service changes are not cost control measures. MBTA's budget is for full-service, and plans to increase services after we hire and train new bus and train operators."

MBTA stated that the labor shortage of train operators across the country will affect the winter service of Mattapan Line, a historic tram fleet in the 1940s that serves 6,600 passengers daily.

According to MBTA, the off-peak service of the Mattapan line will increase with the frequency of trains, from every 23 minutes to every 13 minutes late on Saturday and Sunday. The schedule for peak hours in the morning and evening on weekdays will be reduced to reflect the actual service levels already in place; this will change the peak frequency from every five minutes to every seven minutes.

Mattapan Line winter service changes will also take effect on December 19.

MBTA stated that the service frequency of the red, orange, blue and green lines will not change.

MBTA's service planning team will hold a virtual public meeting on Wednesday to outline these changes in detail and allow the public to ask questions and provide comments. Click here for a complete list of all upcoming service changes.

In response to the broader labor shortage that MBTA and other transportation agencies across the country are experiencing, T stated that it has launched an aggressive recruitment campaign to attract candidates.

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