TransLink to hire 470 drivers ahead of transit expansion
Posted January 19, 2017 1:37 pm.
Last Updated January 19, 2017 1:43 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Get ready for a bus-load of new transit drivers as TransLink embarks on its biggest hiring campaign since the 2010 Olympics.
In order for the transit authority to roll out the first set of expansions in Phase 1 of the region’s 10-year transportation plan, it has to hire around 170 new drivers, 144 conventional bus operators and 26 drivers for shuttles, by April.
Another 274 will be hired before a second round of service changes come into effect in June and September. “It’s going to be a busy time for our training department,” explains Chris Bryan with TransLink who adds drivers will receive six weeks of training.
By comparison, TransLink hired 365 drivers last year, and 244 in 2015. Around half of the current driver force is above the age of 50 and some of the positions are being replaced through attrition. Only 14 per cent of drivers are women. Bryan adds TransLink hopes so take applications from younger people and more women.
Part of the Phase 1 improvements is an 11 per cent increase in passenger capacity during peak periods on the Canada Line. Extended weekday service on the Expo and Millennium Lines, and increasing midday and early evening service on weekends.
SeaBus service on Sundays and holidays will also sail every 15 minutes from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
