The Regional Transportation District announced Thursday that after hearing requests from riders, it will announce in advance those light rail trips to be canceled because there is no employee to operate the train.

“Beginning Friday afternoon, RTD will post canceled light rail trips for the coming week – spanning Sunday through Saturday – on the Rider Alerts page of the RTD website,” the agency said in a press release. “Patrons can sign up on that page to receive route-specific alerts by e-mail.”

There will also be daily alerts for cancellations that are not planned in advance. As of Friday morning, a half dozen runs on the R Line were canceled, with operator shortage given as the reason.

RTD has been mandating six-day workweeks for many of its employees because of a lack of employees to operate buses and light rail routes. That overtime has in turn led to stress, resulting in further vacant positions.

A recent RTD ridership survey indicated that most respondents would prefer predictable, but reduced, service instead of being subject to impromptu dropped runs when there is no operator available.

Consequently, the agency plans to eliminate six bus routes and cut service on nearly 20 others.

At 10 a.m. on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays, RTD plans to e-mail rider alerts of canceled service that reflect the weekly information posted on Fridays.