OCEAN CITY, Md.- After announcing a provisional pay bump for current and new bus drivers, the Town of Ocean City has successfully recruited at least 10 new busmen and women into its ranks.
Yet, the town wants to recruit more drivers before it can get to a full blown schedule and address the ongoing bus driver shortage it has been dealing with.
The 2021 OC Air Show Park-n-Ride traffic jams showed just how bad the shortage is.
Although overcrowding and slow service aren't constants, they're also not new issues experienced by some in the town.
"When they are crowded they have to send out an extra bus. The wait is longer or people basically have to stand up. So say for instance if you catch the bus at the other end at 150th and you got to get to 1st street, that's going to at least take you over an hour because of all the stops and how crowded it is," said Dylan Taylor who works in town.
Despite the new recruits, the town is still hiring for more drivers and expecting some delays on the Fourth of July.
"Our deployments are still affected, unfortunately, so visitors should continue to check the website and bus tracker for the best schedule," said Jessica Waters, communications manager with the Town of Ocean City.
Town leaders say the mask requirement on the buses will remain in effect until further notice no matter how many drivers are added.
The town has raised the pay for drivers from $15.60 an hour to $19.87 an hour effective immediately until an October review by the council.