Local agencies, school districts work to recruit more bus drivers – KSBW Monterey
A nationwide shortage of bus drivers continues to be felt on the Central Coast, with public transit agencies and school districts pulling out the stops to try and recruit new drivers. On Monday, Monterey-Salinas Transit held a field day at its Fort Ord training facility to give staff and board members an opportunity to see just how easy it can be to drive a 19-ton bus.“And I got to say, look, if I can drive it, anyone could do a good job because they can do better than I can,” said MST board member and King City Mayor Mike LeBarre.If driving a bus is easy, getting hired can be easier.“We’ll give you everything you need to become a full-time bus driver, we’ll get you your class B license, we’ll pay you while you train and while you learn,” said MST general manager Carl Sedoryk.And once you get hired, the agency offers incentives to get drivers to stay.“And then you get a nice incentive bonus to complete the class, and then you get an immediate raise upon becoming full-time, and then there’s guaranteed raises each year after that,” Sedoryk said.Monterey-Salinas Transit is pulling out all the stops as it tries to fill 19 positions, offering a $ 28-an-hour starting wage, pension, health benefits and a $3,500 signing bonus.All this as transit agencies and school districts deal with a nationwide shortage of bus drivers.“It’s been a perennial problem. It’s gotten worse in the past couple of years,” said Jim Koenig, superintendent for the Alisal Union school district.School districts on the central coast have begun offering paid training, signing bonuses, and even bonuses to those referring licensed drivers.At the Alisal USD, bus drivers are offered full-time employment when such jobs are typically part-time, but an average of $20 an hour to drive a school bus is a turnoff for many.“So it’s something that we’re going to have to deal with, in addition to providing training and training our own, we’re going to have to take a look at compensation and perhaps even bonuses,” Koenig said.
A nationwide shortage of bus drivers continues to be felt on the Central Coast, with public transit agencies and school districts pulling out the stops to try and recruit new drivers.
On Monday, Monterey-Salinas Transit held a field day at its Fort Ord training facility to give staff and board members an opportunity to see just how easy it can be to drive a 19-ton bus.
“And I got to say, look, if I can drive it, anyone could do a good job because they can do better than I can,” said MST board member and King City Mayor Mike LeBarre.
If driving a bus is easy, getting hired can be easier.
“We’ll give you everything you need to become a full-time bus driver, we’ll get you your class B license, we’ll pay you while you train and while you learn,” said MST general manager Carl Sedoryk.
And once you get hired, the agency offers incentives to get drivers to stay.
“And then you get a nice incentive bonus to complete the class, and then you get an immediate raise upon becoming full-time, and then there’s guaranteed raises each year after that,” Sedoryk said.
Monterey-Salinas Transit is pulling out all the stops as it tries to fill 19 positions, offering a $ 28-an-hour starting wage, pension, health benefits and a $3,500 signing bonus.
All this as transit agencies and school districts deal with a nationwide shortage of bus drivers.
“It’s been a perennial problem. It’s gotten worse in the past couple of years,” said Jim Koenig, superintendent for the Alisal Union school district.
School districts on the central coast have begun offering paid training, signing bonuses, and even bonuses to those referring licensed drivers.
At the Alisal USD, bus drivers are offered full-time employment when such jobs are typically part-time, but an average of $20 an hour to drive a school bus is a turnoff for many.
“So it’s something that we’re going to have to deal with, in addition to providing training and training our own, we’re going to have to take a look at compensation and perhaps even bonuses,” Koenig said.
:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/FTVMIPM72NHW7COAPV5HVMI6KY.jpg)
