PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A free training program may help SEPTA tackle its growing lack of bus drivers.
The shortage of SEPTA bus operators has doubled from 83 openings in September to 167 currently, causing delays on dozens of bus routes each day.
The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, a workforce development program founded by the University City District, is recruiting unemployed Philadelphians who are interested in applying for a SEPTA bus driver position.
“We do all of the screenings that are needed ahead of time to make sure that the folks that are coming through the program will be eligible to be a bus operator,” said Joshua Park, WPSI’s senior manager of strategy and partnerships.
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WPSI is launching a fourth round of free CDL training for candidates applying for SEPTA bus driver jobs.
“From there we send everybody through CDL-B training programs so they can learn what they need to learn to go and be successful taking their tests, which we pay for,” Park told KYW Newsradio.
The initiative also pays applicants $150 a week during the online training. SEPTA has hired 42 operators from the program over the last three years.
“We work to identify job roles where either it’s a growing field or areas where employers are having trouble recruiting or retaining talent,” Park said.
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“We’re trying to find job roles that people in the community want. Places where they can start with a really good wage and have opportunities for career advancement.”
The starting salary for a SEPTA bus driver is $40,148. After four years, a driver can reach the top wage level of $67,785 and with overtime earnings can top $80,000.
The deadline to apply for the free WPSI training has been extended to Monday, January 17 at 5 p.m.
