CTA adds 160-plus new employees to help fill critical positions in bus operations, bus maintenance and rail station management
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has added more than 160 new employees to help fill critical positions in bus operations, bus maintenance and rail station management.
Among those who recently graduated were a total of 133 new bus operators, who either recently started or will enter service this week after having completed extensive and comprehensive training in all facets of operations, safety, troubleshooting, customer communications and more.
“We remain committed to improving our services, which is why over the last year we’ve been pulling out all the stops to remain competitive and welcome these new bus operators, mechanics and rail station personnel – who play a critical role not just here at CTA, but in ensuring the city of Chicago keeps moving,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “We recognize there are a lot of opportunities out there, but few organizations are offering the immediate and long-term benefits that CTA has to offer. We look forward to welcoming even more new employees in the coming months thanks to our ongoing, intense recruiting efforts.”
Like all businesses, especially those in the public transit industry, the CTA has faced unprecedented challenges in recruiting bus operators during the global pandemic. Operator shortages have been a critical factor behind ongoing service challenges—which have led to longer wait times for a bus or train.
Throughout the pandemic, CTA has continued to hire and train bus operators. Following a series of multi-faceted recruitment marketing campaigns, the CTA has recently announced new starting wages, along with new hiring and retention bonuses in an effort to remain competitive and attract top talent. These new measures are above and beyond CTA’s excellent healthcare and pension benefits, paid training (including CDL training and licensing), as well as offering locally based career growth opportunities in the transportation industry.
The CTA also collaborated with its unions to make first-of-their-kind adjustments to existing work rules to help make CTA a more competitive employer in a high-demand industry. Previously, bus operators would begin their careers at the CTA in part-time positions and work their way up to full-time positions, which often took years. However, for the first time ever, this year’s new hires start immediately in full-time bus operator positions, a change CTA sought in the most recent contract with the bus driver’s union.