Best Practices: Growing Workforce Improving Service on St. Louis Region’s Metro Transit System

St. Louis, Mo. - As we all navigate national workforce shortages, the success of hiring initiatives directly impacts the ability of public transit systems to serve customers. During the past year, Metro Transit has implemented a comprehensive, multi-faceted initiative that has successfully drawn more qualified candidates to apply for transit driver/operator positions in the St. Louis, Mo., region, leading to more job offers being extended and helping to keep those new hires on the job. 

Our transit operator workforce and the number of individuals undergoing operator training have grown significantly during the past year due to our special efforts. This encouraging trend is helping us address continuing workforce shortages while sustaining a steady uptick in the number of operators joining Metro Transit. Rebuilding our workforce is essential to improve service for bus, light rail and paratransit customers.  

A key driver of the successful hiring initiatives has been the marketing and promotion of monthly in-person hiring events. That has increased attendance at those events, as well as online applications. We conduct on-site interviews with qualified candidates, which result in on-the-spot job offers for many applicants. The hiring events produced 999 on-the-spot job offers from June 2023 to June 2024alone. Additionally, a special $5,000 signing bonus established in June 2023 for operator positions, mechanics and electricians has raised interest and attendance at these hiring events. The $5,000 signing bonus remains in place for paratransit operators and mechanics. 

Other elements of our hiring initiative that have also contributed to more positive hiring trends for Metro Transit, include:

• Increased wage benefits for new and current operators and mechanics.
• A new mentoring program that involves a partnership with the Amalgamated Transit (ATU) Union Local 788 and International ATU that pairs veteran transit operators with new hires to give them guidance, insight into their new positions, to manage expectations and to move them forward toward successful careers. 
• Updated training programs to better prepare new team members for their operator positions.
• Increased participation in recruitment efforts at all levels by Transit Operations and more consistent contact with applicants from the Talent Acquisition team. 

The combined impact of these efforts can be seen in our numbers. Since January 2024, we have been able to increase frequency on 32 bus routes and evening service resumed on four high-demand routes. At our June hiring event, the number of applicants offered operator positions on the spot totaled more than 100, nearly doubling from June 2023. Eighty of those offers were for paratransit operators. 

Not everyone who receives a job offer will end being hired for a variety of reasons, ranging from background checks to drug tests to accepting another job. That is why it is critical that we continue to grow the pipeline of individuals who want to explore a career in public transportation that could become a rewarding lifetime career. Interested individuals can learn more at WorkAtMetroSTL.com.