Скачать или смотреть CMS transportation director says bus driver pay raise drawing applicants

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Transportation Director Adam Johnson says the district's recent decision to increase starting pay for bus drivers has helped cut into the shortage.

Johnson spoke about the driver shortage on WCNC Charlotte's Wake Up Charlotte To Go Tuesday. Johnson said there's been a noticeable increase in applications since the district bumped driver starting pay to $17.75 earlier this month.

"At the last school board meeting, we received 66 new applications in the past week and a half," Johnson said. "So we're super excited about that. We just had a bus class that started yesterday with 23 hopefuls."

Johnson said the labor shortage during the pandemic has made hiring more difficult. As a result, CMS had to get more competitive with better pay and benefits for new employees.

"You can't go a few feet down the road, whatever highway you're traveling and not see 'help wanted' signs," Johnson said. "And people are offering higher sign-on bonuses, increasing hourly wages."

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