Resource Center

Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) in Massachusetts serves 15 towns within a 400 square miles area in an area where the population triples in the summer with seasonal residents. CCRTA runs seven year-round fixed route lines, several on-demand and hybrid on-demand services, and three summer shuttle services. In 2021, CCRTA served approximately 2.5 million people with 98 drivers.

Faced with driver shortages, CCRTA and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1548 worked together and negotiated driver raises and $1,000 bonuses paid after 90-days. In addition, a six-step salary scale to reach the top pay grade was reduced to two steps. Drivers can now reach the top pay level within two years.

Barnstable County’s older adult population is among the largest per capita in the country, and CCRTA has instituted hiring initiatives aimed toward the older worker and retiree population. In connecting with this population, CCRTA has taken a variety of actions, including:

• Reaching out through Cape Cod Elder Services to communicate CCRTA’s interest in hiring older workers. CCRTA’s Human Services Transportation Manager sits on this organization’s board, facilitating ongoing contact.
• Targeting recruitment of retiring teachers, firefighters, police, and school bus drivers. Cape Cod RTA staff visited schools, fire houses, police stations, and municipal offices to share recruitment information.
• Visited each town on Cape Cod, talked with local retirement agency officials, and posted and mailed banners and notices.
• Overall increase in the agency’s traditional and social media presence generally, including advertising explicitly aimed at older adults, including on social media. Developed advertising, messaging, and imagery to make older workers and retirees feel welcome. To see samples of advertising, visit Cape Cod RTA Jobs on Facebook, the ad on their website’s front page,  and see the video, featuring older drivers, on the CCRTA career page.
• Emphasizing the short time it takes to reach the highest salary level, a compelling message for older people and retirees, who often value salaries more than benefits, as well as the ability to reach the highest level within their time at the agency.
• Offering various employment options, including full-time and part-time, and seasonal. The agency has found that individual needs lead to varied choices; they estimate their older employees have split 50-50 in what scheduling option they choose.
• Providing full CDL training, testing and additional agency-specific training for all employees without CDLs. The agency pays for all training.
• Offering options for non-CDL drivers, who operate smaller vans. The agency encourages the CDL route because it gives drivers more flexibility in shifts and allows them to work and get paid at a higher rate.
• Currently exploring working with the Barnstable County Retirement Commission to arrange for a notice about CCRTA employment options to be part of the Commission’s information packet when an employee puts in for retirement.

CCRTA values its older workforce and their commitment to the job; through its efforts, it has been able to hire a dozen older adults / retirees as drivers. The agency notes that with this population, it is reasonable to expect excellent attendance, while also allowing for the potential of more short-term disability and time for medical appointments. COVID-19 saw CCRTA lose about half of its older adult workforce, given that population’s sensitivity to exposure. However, CCRTA is renewing its recruitment efforts in this area through the various methods noted.

For more information, contact:

Penny Grossman, H.R. Manager – Pgrossman@capecodrta.org – 508-385-1430, ext. 106

CCRTA Website CCRTA Career Page

Basic descriptions of some current state and local programs can be found at the links below.

Chicago Second Chance Program Idaho Second Chance Program Indiana Second Chance Program Iowa and Oregon Second Chance Program

IndyGo’s career page helps site visitors to understand what it’s like to work at the agency and how to apply.  The page also highlights key job benefits and emphasizes the opportunity to serve the community. Overall, the employment section of IndyGo’s website demonstrates a number of key communication elements that support effective outreach to potential applicants.  These elements include:

• An easily accessible and identifiable section on the website.  “Employment” has its own clickable category, not a subcategory that may be harder to locate.
• Clear statements about IndyGo’s mission, emphasizing community service, connection, and working together to make a difference in people’s lives.  These messages attract a range of potential target audiences, and they make clear the difference between a public service career, as opposed to other careers applicants may be considering.
• A detailed list of benefits, with additional specific benefits for drivers noted.  Among those benefits, the list includes unique aspects of the driver position that distinguishes it from other potentially competing careers (e.g., long-haul trucking), noting benefits such as “all local work.”
• Highlighted aspects of the driver position that emphasize the connection with and support provided to riders.
• A thoughtful list of questions for potential applicants to consider about themselves and the type of work they might want before they decide to move ahead with the application.
• Detailed information on how and where to apply, basics of how to prepare for and what to bring to an interview, and important specifics about the steps of the hiring process and initial orientation and training programs.
• IndyGo’s Why I Drive segment on their website includes a video featured in the National Frontline Workforce Recruitment Campaign Toolkit video library elsewhere on this website.  That link on IndyGo’s website also features brief worker profiles, another summary of benefits, and a note on IndyGo’s Second Chance Initiative.
• IndyGo’s website includes a prominent option to translate the site into Spanish.

IndyGo's Employment Opportunities Page

This resource also includes a link to a webinar hosted in July, 2022 presenting information from the report and slides from the webinar.

Bus Operators in Crisis Webinar Slides Webinar: Operators in Crisis: How Did We Get Here? Bus Operators in Crisis Report