CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Transit Management of Charlotte, Charlotte Area Transit System's (CATS) contracted service provider that manages bus operations, will hold a job fair this week for bus drivers amid mass absences impacting routes and travel times in Charlotte.
The job fair will be held at the CATS bus garage on South Tryon Street on July 12, 13 and 14 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. Parking will be available on the first-floor visitor area at the garage. Interested applicants can also use CATS routes 2 and 16 for a free ride to the job fair.
Attendees will learn about open positions with CATS, participate in on-site interviews and get information about the benefits offered. People can also apply online for open positions by clicking here.
How to get into the driver's seat
However, if you're interested in getting behind the wheel you will need the right training. Roscoe Meeks is the Charlotte branch manager for 160 Driving Academy, which has seen a spike in students in its program. Meeks said that’s because of a federal ruling that went into effect this year requiring more training to get a commercial driver's license (CDL) with a passenger endorsement.
“Before, you didn’t have to do that. You could just test out at the DMV, and now you have to go through an accredited school which makes the highway safer," he said, "and if drivers get caught in different situations they will understand them better."
The program runs for about 4 to 6 weeks and costs just under $6,000.
“You have 50 hours of classroom time, 50 hours of yard field time, 20 hours skill observation, 16 hours of open road driving, 20 road observation, three hours of night drive, and then three hours of test," Meeks explained.
The intense training is intended to get strong drivers behind the wheel, and participants leave with a CDL in hand.
The need for drivers
CATS has been facing staffing issues in recent weeks, with dozens of drivers being absent on a daily basis. At one point, more than 100 operators missed work in a single day.
“It’s frustrating," Laela, a bus rider, said. "Some people have to get to work and they have to call their managers and tell them they are going to be late."
She takes the bus to work and sometimes waits anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes for a bus to come. There are times when the bus doesn’t show up at all.
CATS CEO John Lewis spoke at the City of Charlotte Transportation & Planning Committee meeting Monday. He said there is a loophole in drivers' contracts that allows for too many unexcused absences, which have been a major factor contributing to the shortage of operators.
"People can wake up in the morning and say, 'I'm just not coming to work,'" Lewis said. "They can do that 10 times annually."
Lewis said employees are allowed to have 10 unexcused absences without discipline. However, there's a loophole that gives drivers back a day if they don't call out again for 60 days, allowing for additional unexcused absences after that.
"That is the loophole we want to close, and we believe we will be successful in closing," Lewis said. "Ten instances of unexcused absence is not acceptable."
CATS says it needs 292 bus operators a day for weekday service. It currently has 74 open positions. When that number is combined with the number of employees on a scheduled vacation and the high number of people taking unexcused absences, CATS reports it's leading to a daily deficit of roughly 40 to 50 drivers.
There is currently talk of raising pay for drivers to the highest in CATS history, and Lewis said the organization is also looking at four-day work weeks, flexible schedules and other incentives to raise employee morale. He said CATS is looking at a short-term fix by modifying the service schedule to provide the public with more reliable service. However, Lewis said he believes the long-term fix will come out of negotiations with the labor union.
Contact Kendall Morris at kmorris2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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