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20 candidates express interest in Go COMO transit positions at job fair Saturday

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Go COMO Transit, Columbia's public bus system hosted a job fair on Saturday at the Wabush bus station on 10th St. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The city is looking for people interested in becoming a city bus driver or paratransit van driver.

According to Transit Manager Mike Sokoff, the transportation service is widely used, serving around 300,000 passengers annually.

The department currently operates with 25 full-time drivers but needs about 36 to meet the needs of its passengers.

Sokoff said Saturday’s job fair was a success in terms of meeting that goal.

"We've had 20 people that have actually come and inquired about various positions in the city," Sokoff said. "We've actually interviewed six for the bus drivers or paratransit van driver positions."

For regular passengers like Melanie Napieralaski, the service is invaluable, though there are challenges.

Napieralaski has relied on Go COMO for her daily commute for the past two years.

"The only thing I don't like is when the blue bus comes late. Then, I'm going to miss the green route and it happened like five times already," Napieralask said.

Napieralask said she also finds the 90-minute routes to be too long and hopes the addition of more drivers will make the service more reliable and efficient.

Go COMO made Saturday's hiring process as simple as possible.

"We have computers set up in another part of the building where they can go and actually do an application online." Sokoff said. "Once that applications if finished, then we queue them for an interview and we do the interview on site and go through that process and if they make our roster they're qualified to be hired. Then on Monday morning they can go to the department at 600 West Broadway and start filling out paperwork to get it done."

During Saturday's fair, applicants learned about the Go COMO transit system, have the opportunity to apply for a position and have an interview on-site. Interviews will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will be held every 45 minutes.

"Our goal is to get applicants to do interviews on the spot and for qualified individuals who do want to interview, if they get through the interview process, we can make a conditional job offer," Sokoff said.

For those unable to interview Saturday, Go COMO is offering another opportunity on Thursday.

According to a City of Columbia job posting, bus drivers have a starting minimum salary of $20.24 per hour, while paratransit drivers have a minimum starting salary of $16.07 per hour. Both jobs have a minimum 40-hour work week.

Bus drivers must have a commercial driver's license with passenger endorsement and no airbrake restriction, and a Department of Transportation medical certification.

Paratransit drivers must have a valid class E chauffeur license.

According to the city's website, both jobs require a high school diploma or equivalent. For bus drivers, one year of related experience is also recommended to have on the resume.

Drivers are also expected to memorize routes, prepare basic reports, and sometimes work with difficult or hostile people.

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Marie Moyer

Marie Moyer joined ABC 17 News in June 2024 as a multimedia journalist.

She graduated from Pennsylvania State University in May 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in sociology.

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Euphenie Andre

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