How do you know when the unemployment situation is getting really dire? When transit agencies stop accepting applications for bus driver positions.
As folks who work in the transit industry know, recruiting bus operators can be a tough proposition during normal times. Although bus drivers who have several years of tenure can earn a decent income, the job can be incredibly demanding -- not only because you have to pilot a 40-foot bus through heavy traffic, but also because you occasionally have to deal with customers who are unruly, drunk, stupid or just plain mean.
With so many people out of work, however, a job behind the wheel of a transit bus doesn't seem like such a bad thing, as the folks at Coast Mountain Bus Co. in greater Vancouver, British Vancouver, have discovered. At a three-day job fair, they collected 1,500 applications, about three times more than normal and have temporarily stopped accepting more applications.
Here in the U.S., things are not much different.
Julia Best, an HR specialist at Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority in Cincinnati, said she's seen a nearly 300% increase in applications for bus operator positions, which offer a starting pay of $13.19 an hour. They are still accepting applications, however.
In Tampa, Fla., Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) has not been accepting applications for bus drivers for a few months now. Earlier this month, it did post a listing for bus operators on its website. In one week, it generated 92 applications. "All for four openings," said Walt Blichasz, HART's HR coordinator. "Overall, our application intake has been extreme, for any job posted."
And in California, the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District has seen three times as many applications during bus operator recruitments in the past several months and is not listing the opening on its website.
Unfortunately, this silver lining has a dark cloud attached to it. Blichasz said he's concerned that some newly hired bus operators will quit their jobs once the economy recovers and more suitable positions become available. In the meantime, he said, HART will focus on hiring the best qualified candidates, especially those with exceptional customer service skills.
"We can and will train anyone to drive our vehicles," he said. "Without outstanding customer service skills, they could be the best driver in the world, but we will take a second look at them in lieu of someone who brings more customer service skills to the job."
What Walt's really saying is that they're looking for people who can handle customers who are unruly, drunk, stupid or just plain mean -- with a smile.
Until next time.
Steve
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