A bus serving the MBTA's Route 28 pulls into the Nubian Square terminal. Photo by King TransitMA | CC BY-SA 4.0

The Great Resignation has hit Boston’s public transit system, with serious consequences for low-income riders.

The MBTA announced widespread cuts to many bus lines as part of its regular winter schedule update process, set to take effect on Sunday, Dec. 19, that amount to dropping 1 in 20 currently scheduled bus trips.

While service reductions are spread across the system, several of the agency’s busiest lines are impacted. Routes like the 1, which connects Harvard and Nubian squares, and the 116 and 117, which connect low-income riders in Revere, Chelsea and East Boston with the Blue Line Subway, will see fewer trips on weekdays and Saturdays. In total, over 30 lines will see service reductions.

The cuts are not an attempt to save money unlike service reductions earlier in the pandemic, agency leadership said, but instead reflect the number of drivers it has on staff as attrition outpaces new hires.

“Like other transit systems across the country, the MBTA is experiencing significant challenges in attracting the workforce needed to meet demands for service,” MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said in a statement. “These service changes are not a cost-control measure. The MBTA is budgeted for a full level of service, and ready to add back services when we have hired and trained new bus and train operators. We have teams at the MBTA working to streamline the hiring process and attract new employees, and I encourage all prospective candidates to visit mbta.com/apply to learn more about the many benefits that come with a career at the T.”

The T said in a statement that it has launched “an aggressive recruitment campaign.” The agency’s bus operator job posting lists the standard pay as $21.13 per hour once the training period is completed, but says drivers must be able to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, as assigned.

A virtual public meeting is planned for tonight to outline the changes in detail and solicit public feedback.