The University of Iowa transit service Cambus has altered some bus schedules in a temporary move to bridge a shortfall in drivers.
Cambus administrators increased the interval frequency on the daytime Red and Blue routes to 15 minutes, from the regular 10 minute-intervals during the academic year. No routes have been canceled.
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The agency made the schedule changes to address a shortage in drivers, while ensuring appropriate time is given to train a new crop of student drivers for the fleet. The service is expected to be running at normal, full capacity by mid-October.
“We appreciate riders being patient with us and our drivers,” says David Ricketts, director of UI parking and transportation. “We’re dedicated to providing safe and convenient transportation, and making sure we’re fully staffed is a top priority.”
Cambus has 170 student employees at full capacity. The agency is training 40 student drivers over the next several weeks, which will help it regain full staffing.
Cambus hires approximately 80 new drivers each year, but the number of recent new applicants hasn’t kept pace with turnover. The service is actively recruiting UI students to fill driver positions, offering $11 to start, with a maximum wage of $14.55.
To qualify, an applicant must be a UI student, have a good driving record, and be available for at least two semesters. Students will undergo about 50 hours of training in order to obtain a commercial driver's license, which is necessary to drive a Cambus.
“It’s an opportunity to not only become a member of a great team, but the experience can potentially help boost your career after graduation because we allow students to gain supervisory experience to add to their résumés,” says Brian McClatchey, Cambus manager. “We hope more students realize we’re one opportunity to make an impact on the campus community and help pay for their expenses.”
Click here to learn more about becoming a Cambus driver.
Blue and Red Route schedules are being updated online. Bongo is also catching up with changes in schedule accuracy and will improve over the next several weeks.