Snoqualmie Valley Transportation (SVT) announced Thursday, April 13, that it will cut more of its routes due to staffing shortages.

The Valley Shuttle, a fixed route service that goes between Duvall and North Bend, will lose two routes in each direction.

Effective Monday, April 17, the shuttle will not operate northbound routes departing from North Bend at 1:18 and 4:44 p.m., and southbound routes departing from Duvall at 2:43 and 6:10 p.m.

Last July, staffing shortages also prompted SVT to suspend the Duvall-Monroe shuttle. That route has not returned to operation.

SVT, a program of the nonprofit Mt. Si Senior Center, has been providing Valley residents with low-cost transportation options for 20 years. King County Metro contracts with SVT to run bus routes inside the Snoqualmie Valley. Most rides cost $1.

“We need eight drivers now,” SVT Executive Director Amy Biggs said. “[S]ome of our wonderful drivers have had to leave because they can’t afford to live here any more.”

SVT has “always had local drivers,” Biggs said. That’s part of the reason they’ve been unable to keep the service fully staffed in recent years. Potential drivers who live in more affordable areas are not searching North Bend for jobs, she said.

Biggs said she is also concerned that the lack of transportation will compound the problem of the high cost of living in the Valley.

SVT is hiring drivers at $19.07 per hour, with increases starting after 90 days of employment. Candidates must have a clean driving record for the last five years, pass a background check and meet Department of Transportation physical requirements. For more information visit: svtbus.org/about-us/careers.

Biggs said the Valley shuttle will restore service as soon as possible.