MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota's record-low unemployment rate has been great for job seekers, but it's been tough for anyone in need of a bus.
"We've been increasing our wages, hiring bonuses, referral bonuses, making better schedules than we used to have, but there's still a barrier," said Brian Funk, chief operating officer for Metro Transit. "One of the things I've heard from many potential drivers is, 'I'm interested, but I don't know what it's like to drive a big bus around.'"
Metro Transit will eliminate that barrier in a big way on Saturday. Anyone with a valid driver's license can come to Metro Transit's new North Loop Garage from 9 a.m. to noon, and take a spin in a bus.
"It's going to be safe and it's going to be a lot of fun," Funk said. "We thought, well, 'Let's set it up with some safeguards in place.' We'll have an instructor on board, but really give people a sense for what it's like to sit behind that big wheel and take a lap around our brand-new bus garage."
Though unconventional, Metro Transit is pulling out all the stops in response to a major problem. Bus service has been reduced by 30% since the pandemic, and though some of that is driven by demand, the lack of drivers is holding everything back.
Funk: "We're aiming to get back up to at least another 10% this year."
Kent Erdahl: "To get back to where things were, how many drivers would it take?"
Funk: "We would need to hire about 200 operators. If we can get everyone started on that path (Saturday), we'll be really happy."
Erdahl: "I know this is inside, but bus drivers of all kinds have faced a lot of challenges this winter. Is that a barrier to keeping people?"
Funk: "I think we have an advantage, at least over school buses, in that most of our service is on the main roads, the ones that are not like most neighborhood streets. I think that our operators would tell you that they still have to be really on their game, and those snow days are challenging, but we really take pride in it as an organization that we're going to persist through."
For more information on driving for Metro Transit - and the driving event - click here.
Watch more Breaking The News:
Watch all of the latest stories from Breaking The News in our YouTube playlist: