NILES — Niles City Council approved a pay increase Monday for Dial-A-Ride Transportation drivers and dispatchers to $19 per hour, with such expense covered by DART’s budget. 

Niles DART serves the greater Niles-Buchanan area. Driver and dispatcher recruitment have been difficult for a number of years but has become increasingly difficult over the past three years as competition for qualified drivers and dispatchers has increased. In addition to driving their routes, drivers are hands on with their customers like assisting individuals with disabilities.

The proposed wage is more competitive with local school bus drivers’ starting rate of $18 to $27.62 but comparable to other public transportation services. Niles’s current base pay is $17.50 per hour for these positions. There are currently three open positions out of 13 total driver and dispatcher positions.

“The competition out there to get drivers is pretty tough, said Niles DART Manager Pepper Miller. “Everybody needs bus drivers and neighboring communities, Niles and Brandywine are always looking for bus drivers and so are we being public transportation, it’s just tough competing with that. So I’m very happy to see that the council saw the need and said yes.”