I feel like there is a pretty simple solution to this, right? Just hire more drivers, perhaps drivers that are on-call only (or mostly) but in return are paid more? Now obviously that would need funding. I don’t know how well WRTA is doing with that so perhaps they just don’t have the money (although that is not what they claimed the problem is, according to the article).

That last quote is right; I too find it hard to believe there simply just isn’t a way to find subs for drivers.