IndyGo, a municipal corporation of Indianapolis-Marion County, currently employs nearly 460 workers. The majority of the transit system’s workforce is made up of professional coach operators (bus drivers) who are represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1070. A new recruitment effort will help the agency staff up for expanded service in 2013.

Through the new Employment Contract Program, candidates aren’t required to hold a Class B Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with the proper endorsements to be considered for employment. IndyGo will offer free CDL training and certification through a contract with a local CDL school.

“The decision to offer free CDL certification represents a big change for IndyGo,” explains Mike Birch, VP, human resources. “The program is already attracting a lot of talent that may not have thought about driving professionally before, and that’s what we had in mind.”

Candidates who wish to take advantage of the free CDL training must pass physical and written exams in addition to signing a one-year employment contract.

After pre-employment requirements are met including proper CDL certification, all new professional coach operators must graduate from an intensive six- to eight-week paid training program, known as the IndyGo Training Academy. The Training Academy curriculum will equip new operators with technical and procedural know-how for operating a city bus.

Professional coach operators are paid for their eight-week training course, and after graduation, operators are guaranteed 40 hours of work per week.