PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Amid the staff shortage felt around the world, the ongoing lack of professional bus drivers has continued to impact Oregon schools, store supply chains and the accessibility of public transportation. 

In November of 2021, TriMet announced they would begin to offer new drivers a large hiring bonus of $2,500 in an attempt to combat the crippling staff shortage.

But according to the agency, the cash incentives have not been enough to fix what TriMet has called the most severe driver shortage in the agency’s history.

“TriMet’s worker shortage is part of a national trend resulting from COVID-19’s impact on hiring,” TriMet spokesperson Tia York said. 

York told KOIN 6 News towards the beginning of the pandemic, TriMet was forced to temporarily pause its bus operator training program while the agency worked to adapt to new social distancing guidelines and health and safety regulations.

“We have also seen retirements and resignations among operators as well as across the agency increase,” York explained. “As TriMet employees, like many in customer-focused positions across the country, reassess career goals.”

Following the launch of hiring bonuses back in November, TriMet said they immediately saw an increase in applications, though that number has begun to come back down in recent months. 

According to TriMet, in the week before the agency announced $2,500 sign-on bonus, they received only 13 applications. 

In the week following the announcement, TriMet received five times that number, with 67 applications. 

“The number of applications dipped but continued to come in steadily through the holidays and is trending higher in recent weeks,” TriMet stated. “During the last week of January, we received 27 applications.”

TriMet told KOIN 6 News, in December of 2021 the agency had 1,176 bus operators (941 full-time and 235 part-time). A drop in the number of drivers was reported in December of 2020, which showed 1,272 bus operators (1,026 full-time and 246 part-time).

“It’s important to note that the number of bus operators needed to provide service is a bit fluid and changes day to day based on service schedules,” York said. “While we’ve been able to provide service with fewer bus operators, ideally we would like to have 1000 full-time bus operators on staff.”

While TriMet is working to entice potential driver candidates with sign-on bonuses and increased starting wages, York says the shortage is far from over. 

“The staffing shortage that TriMet is experiencing is the most severe in agency history, and we foresee no quick or immediate resolution,” York stated. “In early January, we reduced service by about 9% to better match the number of available operators to the service that we are able to reliably provide.”

In addition to the $2,500 new-hire bonus, TriMet said they have increased starting pay for new operators to $21.84 an hour and have partnered with Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) 757 to remove potential employment barriers. 

These changes are just a few of TriMet’s massive strategic efforts to get more drivers on the road and help supplement service reduction.

“We recently made it possible for new operators to begin with full-time work, adjusting a long-time policy that required them to work a part-time schedule at first,” York explained. “We have expanded recruitment efforts to areas beyond the Portland-Vancouver metro area to include markets such as Bend, Grants Pass and Tacoma.”

TriMet is currently offering potential new hires, CDL training, annual transit passes, fitness center discounts, as well as medical, dental and vision benefits for both full and part-time workers. 

To view TriMet’s upcoming hiring events click here.