Drivers wanted: Halifax Transit looking to return to full service by the end of summer
A push is on to fill job openings with Halifax Transit.
There are roughly 42 vacancies within the public transit service, according to Maggie-Jane Spray, a spokesperson for Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).
Based on the city’s current hiring plan, the hope is to get back to full service with a full complement of staff by late summer.
“That doesn’t necessarily align with tourism season, however, we typically see our biggest increase in ridership in the fall, when students return back for school,” said Spray in an interview with CTV News.
But the business community thinks there’s still room for to grow.
“I think a reliable transit service is really important for downtown businesses,” said Patrick Sullivan, the president and CEO of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. “It’s important for businesses all around Halifax.”
Once the city meets its previous levels of service, Sullivan says he would like to see the transit system enhanced.
“It’s important for people to be able to get to work, return from work; reduce the number of cars on the road. All of that is very, very important to both small and large businesses,” Sullivan said.
Spray says Halifax Transit currently has budget approval for 640 positions.
Bus driver Dilshad Aulkh has been behind the wheel for two years. He says it’s a career worth pursuing.
”It’s a stable job and it’s a government job with benefits, so that’s why I’m in,” said Aulkh.
To recruit more operators like Aulkh, representatives from Halifax Transit will be at a job fair Saturday in Porter’s Lake, N.S.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.