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JACK CHAVEZ/OCEAN CITY TODAY Ocean City Council members voted unanimously to raise the hourly pay this season for bus and public works drivers who hold commercial licenses in an effort to attract more employees.

Bus driver pay gets boosted in hope it will aid recruiting

Continued from Page 1 we’re going to hit [ridership] numbers from 2019, we’re certainly going to be way ahead of 2020 and we’re just not in a position to do that right now.”

Initially, transportation officials thought they could eke by with a smaller number of buses this year because ridership was not expected to jump in the wake of covid. However, that does not appear to be the case.

Rider numbers were at 1,200 last week, up from the 800 recorded during at the same time last year. With that, officials said there is a shortage of buses on the road, all of which prompted the decision to offer more money to those who want to drive.

Meehan pointed out that comparable employers are already paying $18 or more to individuals with commercial licenses, and licensees were going to those jurisdictions instead. He said he was concerned not only about recruiting, but also about retention.

“We are concerned about them going to another area or jurisdiction with higher wages,” he said. “And we don’t want to lose any we currently have.”

Staff writer Greg Wehner also contributed to this story.

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