Howard County Launches New Incentive Program To Combat Bus Driver Shortage

2 years ago 421

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — Howard County is launching caller transit operator incentives to enlistee and clasp metropolis autobus drivers, introduced connected Wednesday by Executive Calvin Ball.

The announcement was made astatine a Regional Transportation Agency lawsuit that focused connected Howard County’s efforts to combat the autobus operator shortage.

Some of the incentives include:

Increased hourly pay.
Lowering property eligibility for drivers.
Recruitment and retention bonuses.
Suspending little traveled routes.
Providing in-house grooming and assistance to assistance drivers get CDL licenses.

“Throughout this pandemic, businesses and organizations person faced challenges with worker turnover and recruitment. We’re seeing this contented crossed industries, including transportation,” said Ball. “To proceed ensuring fantabulous work to our assemblage – truthful that galore of our residents tin get to work, to the market store, and to their doctor’s appointment, we indispensable enlistee and clasp drivers. Our extremity has ever been to summation the reliability and accessibility of proscription present successful Howard County for radical of each abilities – and the efforts we’ve outlined contiguous are a measurement guardant to code this operator shortage.”

These incentives are conscionable 1 of the galore attempts made by Howard County successful the past twelvemonth to combat the operator shortage.

Earlier this year, the region launched a caller programme to let mediate and precocious schoolhouse students to usage a escaped RTA autobus pass. They person besides implemented singing bonuses, held occupation fairs, and offered paid training.

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The RTA presently needs to enlistee 31 drivers to conscionable pre-pandemic capacity.

“We are hopeful that the RTA, successful adjacent coordination with our partners successful Laurel and the adjacent counties tin enactment rapidly to prosecute the indispensable drivers and instrumentality our transit cognition to pre-pandemic levels,” said, Central Maryland Transportation and Mobility Commission Chairman Allen Cornell. “Thank you besides to the dedicated unit of the RTA who person worked connected the beforehand enactment of the pandemic for the past 18 months and who merit the designation for the indispensable work that they supply to our residents.”