Metro Transit says 'thank you' to drivers as it seeks to fill vacant positions

Struggling to recruit drivers and to keep the ones they have, Metro Transit managers on Friday fanned out across the Twin Cities to shake hands with bus and light-rail operators as they pulled up to stops and asked passengers to cheer for their drivers.

Managers also served drivers a catered lunch at each of the agency's five garages and gave drivers new lunch boxes as part of Transit Driver Appreciation Day festivities celebrating those who drive the living room-sized vehicles and trains.

"We can't put into words ... we care, we value their service," said Brian Funk, deputy general manager, who was wearing a button that read "I [heart] Operators." Driving a bus can be an isolating job, Funk said, and the day was meant to "say thank you and let them know that somebody supports operators."

Driver Appreciation Day is an annual affair, but it took on extra significance this year as Metro Transit continues to fight a driver shortage. Over the past couple of years, the agency has experienced an attrition rate of 2:1, meaning for every driver hired, two have left. Metro Transit has 1,145 bus drivers, but it wants to hire about 200 more to meet increasing demand as the pandemic wanes and more workers return to their offices.

The agency is further reducing frequency on a number of routes when new schedules go into effect March 26, largely because of an operator shortage.

Events like Friday's can help fill the gap, Funk said.

"No employer can afford to lose talented people," he said. Small tokens of appreciation might get employees to advertise openings to their friends and family, he said.

Bus driving offers steady employment, he said, noting that even when ridership dropped 70% during the pandemic, no drivers were furloughed or laid off. A number of newer drivers have moved into management or training positions in as few as three years, he said.

Bus driver Antonio Castro, a 10-year veteran, called Friday's event a morale booster.

"If you don't appreciate your wife, she won't cook for you," he said in giving an analogy. "We feel important."

Castro said he sees himself as more than simply a bus driver. He's played tour guide, translator and once played a part in saving the life of a man he found lying in the middle of University Avenue. Last year he drove a bus retrofitted as a mobile COVID vaccine clinic across the state and even met Gov. Tim Walz at Farmfest.

His job, he said, "is like a book, and every page is a different story." He said he likes driving a bus because there isn't a lot of paperwork, he doesn't have to use a computer, his hours are flexible and he provides a necessary service.

Metro Transit conducts hiring events twice a month and is dangling a $1,000 signing bonus. The agency provides all training, including obtaining a commercial driver's license. Bus drivers, who start at more than $21 an hour, also get annual salary increases, health care, a pension plan and paid vacation.