Jun. 1—EAU CLAIRE — Local school bus company Student Transit will host a driver recruiting event this week to aid in their goal of hiring and training as many drivers as possible in the next few months — just in time for the new school year.
The company's first annual Driving for Drivers event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday at the Student Transit-Eau Claire, Inc., campus, 3339 Fehr Rd.
The event will offer prospective hires the opportunity to talk to current bus drivers about what they do, learn about the extensive employee benefits available to them and test-drive a school bus with an on-site trainer.
"Student Transit believes that becoming a bus driver is a perfect part-time job for retirees, stay-at-home parents, college kids, or just about anyone who's looking to make a little extra money while still enjoying lots of freedom," a Student Transit news submission stated.
According to Automatic Data Processing, one of the world's largest payroll processing companies, the total number of bus drivers nationwide was down 13% in fall 2021 compared to pre-pandemic numbers.
And while Student Transit General Manager Martin Klukas said the pandemic didn't have a huge impact on employee retention, he did say the company has seen a decrease in new applicants since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has resulted in a "desperate need" for increased recruitment efforts throughout the past year.
"It's affected us to some degree," Klukas told the Leader-Telegram. "We've been extremely fortunate in that our employee base is phenomenally dedicated."
Klukas said the company currently employs around 120 drivers. It is his hope that the Driving for Drivers event will attract around 15 to 20 new applicants.
"Of that, if we could get 10-12 new drivers so we can get them trained up over the summertime ... we would be absolutely ecstatic," Klukas said.
In addition to bus drivers, Klukas added that Student Transit is seeking to hire more bus safety monitors. The company currently employs around 50 monitors to help supervise approximately 380 routes throughout the Eau Claire and Altoona school districts.
Current Student Transit drivers range in age, from 18 to the upper 70s, Klukas said.
"Because of how desperate we have been for drivers, we don't take just any old 18-year-old off the street," Klukas explained. "The 18-year-old that we have driving behind the wheel now is an extremely, extremely capable human."
Aside from possessing a Commercial Driver's License and perhaps an inclination toward helping others, Klukas said prospective bus drivers do not need to meet any specific sets of requirements. In fact, he added, many people might be surprised to learn how easy it is to drive a school bus. The training process for new drivers lasts between four and six weeks, Klukas said.