Lane Transit District (LTD) welcomed eight new bus operators on March 17 during Bus Operator Graduation at the District’s Glenwood Campus.
“Congratulations to our eight new bus operators and their families for graduating from a rigorous bus operator training program,” said Jameson T. Auten, LTD’s CEO. “We welcome you to the LTD team of dedicated professionals who keep our community connected every day.”
The district’s new graduates will join LTD’s roster of 175 bus operators, who travel 30 neighborhood (fixed) routes and two EmX routes seven days per week that span the district’s nearly 500 square miles. LTD bus operators pick up and deliver passengers from 1,300 active bus stops, including nine neighborhood stations, 60 EmX platforms, 200 neighborhood bus shelters and two primary hub stations. Annually, they drive the district’s 14 electric, 59 hybrid and 28 renewable diesel fuel buses, which amounts to almost 2.8 million revenue miles per year, with passenger boardings reaching more than five million.
LTD’s bus operator training program is eight weeks. The curriculum is taught in the classroom and behind the wheel to teach candidates about customer service, laws governing bus operations, LTD operations and how to operate the district’s 40- and 60-foot fixed-route buses, as well as its EmX buses that serve the bus rapid transit routes.
“LTD needs more operators to provide more service,” said Perry Adams, LTD’s director of human resources. “The district is still replacing open bus operator positions from retirements and pandemic-related staffing adjustments.”
