GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Dean Transportation is hosting another hiring event where job-seekers can learn more about transportation positions that are currently available serving Grand Rapids schools.

Open interviews will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, at Dean Transportation’s Grand Rapids operations center, 4155 Trade Dr. The event is free and open to anyone with or without experience, according to a news release from the company.

The Lansing-based transportation company is looking to hire more School Bus drivers, bus attendants and service technicians who would serve Grand Rapids Public Schools and the Kent Intermediate School District.

The company offers starting wages up to $23.25 per hour for school bus drivers, $16.25 per hour for school bus attendants and competitive wages for service technicians based on certifications.

At Tuesday’s event, job-seekers will be able to meet with Dean representatives and learn more about the company’s culture, comprehensive benefits, paid training and flexible scheduling. Attendees are encouraged to bring a valid driver’s license.

The company encouraged anyone with questions to contact the Grand Rapids operations team at 616-819-3000 or 616-885-1678, ext. 1688, or visit deanjobs.com.

The upcoming hiring event is one of several job fairs Dean Transportation has hosted over the last year to try to recruit more drivers. Like other school transportation providers across the state, the company continues to struggle with staffing shortages that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dean Transportation has been at the center of complaints from parents at Grand Rapids Public Schools in recent months. Families have said the company often fails to notify parents when bus routes are canceled or delayed, and that students regularly spend upwards of an hour on the bus ride home from school.

The company held a community forum on Oct. 4 to give families the opportunity to voice their concerns directly to Dean Transportation officials. More than two dozen parents attended the event, as well as some school bus drivers and GRPS administrators.

RELATED: 1-hour bus rides, no communication: Grand Rapids parents fed up with poor school bus service

Kellie Dean, CEO of the busing company, said at the event that staffing shortages have led to the company not having enough drivers to cover all the routes. He said drivers have had to double up on routes, resulting in longer ride times.

While the company has ramped up its hiring efforts, the biggest challenge is a lack of qualified candidates that meet the requirements to become a school bus driver, Dean said. For every 100 applicants the company receives for an open job, only 10 of those will be qualified and not all of them will get hired, he said.

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