I Drive It: Meet Donald, Community Transit Coach Operator

When your job goes from handling small pieces of machinery to handling machinery that is nearly 50,000 lbs, that's a big change! After years of trouble shooting photoelectric sensors as an electric bench technician, we are happy that Donald decided to stretch his legs and give driving the bus a go. In almost 12 years (and getting close to his Million Mile Driver Award goal), Donald has expanded not only his view out the window, but his view inside the window as well.

It was the excitement at the responsibility of driving a large passenger vehicle that initially inspired Donald to drive for us. While he had driven a semi-trailer truck before, the thought of a vehicle with space inside and people as its precious cargo was a little intimidating. Our nine-week comprehensive training program soon set his mind at ease. "I appreciated how in-depth the training program was. Our training department is really top-of-the-line. I was given such a sense of confidence because I didn't have to worry too much about what might happen on the road. As long as I followed my training, I was fully prepared."

Along with confidence came the connection with passengers inside the bus. "Right away I started understanding service is about people helping people. I like that part. The people I serve is life; it's why I'm here. One morning I was driving the 116 from Silver Firs and a woman up front was acting a bit edgy like she was running late. She said to me, 'I know you don't care, but I really need to catch the 113 at Ash Way. I don't want to miss my bus.' That really affected me. In her experience drivers are robots, just driving the bus. I looked at her and said, 'Don't worry, you'll catch your bus. And by the way, I really do care.' Her whole demeanor changed and she relaxed."

Donald said this commitment to service makes him proud to work for Community Transit. "Because the company as a whole values service, it really sets us apart from other agencies. The higher-ups respect and listen to all employees. This helps the demeanor of the drivers and creates a wonderful camaraderie here."

What do you value in a workplace? Do you feel valued by your workplace in return? If making a difference in people's lives is important to you, we're hiring Coach Operators: www.communitytransit.org/drive4us

We're looking for people to "Drive It"

Looking for a career that takes you somewhere? We're hiring full-time and part-time Coach Operators to help drive our fleet!

  
We pride ourselves on providing excellent training to excellent drivers. In just nine weeks, you could be on the road with a Commercial Driver's License. We will teach you everything you need to know to pass the CDL exams with confidence.

You'll learn to be the best in an intensive training program that includes 35 hours in the classroom and 240 hours on the road. Once you've earned your CDL, you'll spend two weeks driving a bus with another Coach Operator aboard to assist you. At the end of the training program, we host an event to celebrate YOU and welcome you to the Community Transit family!

Even better? You'll earn while you learn! Community Transit values its drivers (without you, we can't get to where we're going). We offer paid training at $19.75 with benefits for the whole family (including medical, dental, and vision). Our competitive pay starts at $48,319 ($23.23/hour) after graduation, with earning potential up to $61,027 ($29.34/hour).

Ready to roll? Apply today! We can't wait to welcome you aboard.

Richard, Maurice, Sara, and Anne are already on the road!

One of our largest graduating classes of 2015!