HYANNIS – At the national and local level, transportation services are in need of drivers this season as a pandemic-era decline in bus operators continues.
Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority Deputy Administrator Kathy Jensen said that to help attract drivers, they are offering a $1,000 sign-on bonus paid after 90 days, as well as a faster track to the highest salary level.
“Do we offer Commercial Drivers License training and testing—all of that at no charge. Also, we are hiring non CDL drivers, so if somebody doesn’t have a CDL, then we have a place for them as well,” said Jensen.
She added that the lack of workforce is also holding back the CCRTA’s ability to expand service including their on-demand ride service: SmartDART.
“We’d love to be able to expand our SmartDART throughout the Cape, but we can only do so much with what we have.”
Jensen said that with Barnstable County’s senior population among the highest per capita in the United States, they are aiming their hiring initiatives at seniors and retirees who may be looking for part-time work.
More on the CCRTA’s hiring campaigns can be found on their website.
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