GREAT BARRINGTON — The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority has scrapped a plan to cut back on routes.

During a meeting before the Great Barrington Select Board on Monday, BRTA Administrator Kathleen Lambert said the authority's new operating company has found a way to maintain current routes with existing drivers.

"There will be nothing happening to the service, because now we have proper scheduling that we can use to operate the service we have with all the people we have," Lambert said.

BRTA proposed reducing weekday service by half on two of its busiest routes — Route 1 (Pittsfield–North Adams) and Route 2 (Pittsfield–Lee) — while scaling back service on others, including Route 11 (Berkshire Community College), Route 15 (West Pittsfield–Lebanon Avenue), Route 21 (Lee–Great Barrington) and Route 34 (North Adams Loop).

The cuts were proposed as a short-term solution to BRTA’s driver shortage — 25 drivers are available for 36 weekday runs.

The authority’s advisory board postponed a vote on the changes scheduled for earlier this month, citing concerns that more feedback and discussion with riders was needed.

And just last week, Lambert told the North Adams City Council that any cutbacks likely could be reversed as soon as this summer, citing discussions with its new operating company, Keolis.

That company, which takes over July 1, hires drivers and provides a general manager who manages them. It also manages mechanics and budgeting, while the administration provides oversight and daily operational insight.

Lambert said for now, there are supervisors who can cover for drivers who call out, but they will be hiring more drivers. Additional information will be presented at the BRTA board meeting set for Thursday.

"This is a significant turnaround this past week," Select Board member Eric Gabriel said. "All the worry people might have been feeling, they can sleep easier."