ST. LOUIS — Metro Transit in St. Louis will add several new employees to their team after a hiring event in Ferguson on Saturday.
Spokeswoman Patti Beck said that out of the 115 applicants, 82 walked away with job offers.
"It was super simple and easy. They made it very stress-free," expressed Marquita Blockmon, who, along with many others, had their lives changed in less than an hour at the North County Transit Center.
The bustling atmosphere on a Saturday reflected the eagerness of job seekers to explore opportunities with St. Louis' primary public transportation system, Metro Transit.
The process was remarkably efficient. "Came right in, signed right in. There was an interview within the next 15 minutes, then they gave your conditional offering within the next 20," Blockmon shared, highlighting the streamlined nature of the recruitment process.
The company was offering a range of positions including mechanics, Metro Call-A-Ride Van Operators, MetroBus Operators, and MetroLink operators with competitive starting pay ranging from $17.84 to just over $25 per hour.
What stood out for Block was the realization that women, too, played a significant role in the industry. "I didn't think that a lot of females got into the industry, but I do see a lot of females driving trucks and buses, so it was something I wanted to do," she remarked.
Her aspirations came to fruition as she received a job offer on the spot, joining the ranks of Metro Transit as a CDL driver.
The need for more manpower is crucial for Metro Transit to meet the increased demands on their services, with gaps caused by the pandemic leading to route and time changes.
Trenise Winters, Assistant Executive Director at Metro Transit, explained the current workforce shortage: "We are short actually about 80 van operators and about 30 mechanics and partially 30 operators at this point." Beyond technical skills, the company is seeking individuals with good character who are dedicated to serving the community and possess customer service experience. Winters emphasized, "We want people who want to serve the community. That's what we're looking for. Someone with customer service experience. Someone who wants to start a new fresh career."
The sentiment among applicants echoed a common theme - a sense of individual responsibility in the job search. One applicant succinctly put it, "Everybody got to apply more for themselves. Companies. Workers. All of that. If you're really trying to work, make you some money, you would come to this."
These applicants are not merely seeking jobs; they are ready to embark on new careers, revving up their engines for a fresh start. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to starting January 8th," shared Blockmon said.
Metro Transit operates 24 battery electric buses and more than 260 clean-burning diesel buses that serve 59 MetroBus routes in eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois. The company also operates MetroLink light rail vehicles on 46 miles of track serving 38 stations in the two-state area, and operates Metro Call-A-Ride, a paratransit fleet of 123 vans.
Last week, a new plan was put in place for Monday-Friday to have two-car trains operating on the Red and Blue Lines on the MetroLink. It was implemented after crime started to plague the public transportation system.
All of the essential positions are eligible for a 5,000 sign-on bonus through the end of the year. The company has now extended nearly 400 same-day job offers since its hiring events started in October.