Greenlink addresses bus driver shortage and safety concerns

Greenlink works to address bus driver shortage, improve safety

Transportation agencies across the country are struggling to maintain a full staff of bus drivers. Greenville’s Greenlink bus system is no exception.

In February 2023, the organization had open positions for 10 full-time bus operators. James Keel, director of Greenlink, said the number of openings has been fairly average over the past couple of months and the shortage has been ongoing since 2019.

“Many factors have contributed to this,” Keel said. “We have a very competitive area for anyone with a (commercial driver’s license) – this is primarily being driven by the manufacturing industry we have in the area. We must be very competitive on pay in order to maintain a balance with the private sector.”

Safety concerns

The city of Greenville’s human resources department met with Greenlink’s bus operators to gain insight into what improvements they wish to see. The safety of bus drivers was one of the concerns raised.

Keel said that, over the past several years, some passengers have become disruptive, leading law enforcement to intervene. Safety for transit workers is a national concern. According to the American Public Transportation Association, physical and verbal abuse from passengers was identified by current and former transit workers as a main recruitment barrier.

Greenlink has made several changes to improve driver safety, such as installing bus-operator barriers on buses and providing de-escalation and mental health training. Keel said they are now in the process of adding security to the downtown transit center located at 100 W. McBee Ave.

“Being a government facility, we don’t have the ability to prohibit an individual from returning to the transit center,”  Keel said. “This limitation restricts our ability to control who is in the terminal and this is where the majority of our incidents happen.”

Finding solutions

Greenlink’s ongoing bus-driver shortage impacts the transit system’s ability to implement its transit development plan. Keel said Greenlink has been trying to extend hours of service on Saturdays since October 2019.

To improve the shortage, Greenlink developed a recruiting and retention plan to help with the transit system’s hiring needs. The plan outlines different strategies such as job fairs to increase hiring opportunities. A senior bus operator position is also being created to allow for career growth.

Greenlink held a job fair in February where it received over 20 applications, most for the transit system’s Bus Operator in Training program. The 12-week program helps train and license new bus drivers. After the job fair, Keel said they had four of the 10 open positions tentatively filled.

To learn more about Greenlink or to apply for a bus-operator position, visit www.greenvillesc.gov/1154.

Hourly rates

Greenlink’s bus driver hourly rates range from $19.60 to $24.49 an hour, depending on years of experience.

Safety concerns

According to the American Public Transportation Association’s Transit Workforce Shortage Study, the factors discouraging new workers include:

• Poor pay and benefits – 46%
• Inflexibility of schedules – 29%
• Physical and verbal abuse from passengers – 19%
• Long shifts; feeling overworked – 18%
• Safety and security issues – 13%
• Hiring and training challenges – 8%
• Lack of support and respect from management – 5%
• Poor communication and transparency from management – 1%