Bus Driver (Full-Time)

Job Title

The 2026 starting rate of pay is $22.77 - $23.85 per hour with advancement to $31.91 per hour. Grade: SS4 FLSA Status: Non-Exempt Safety Sensitive Position: Yes Supervisor Title: Transit Operations Supervisor Minimum Qualifications of Education and Experience: Must be at least 19 years of age. High School Diploma/GED is required Must possess a valid driver's license and be able to drive in the state of Minnesota. Preferred Qualifications: Possession of a Minnesota CDL Class A or B Commercial Driver's license (CDL) with passenger endorsement and free of air brake restrictions.

Job Description

This position operates medium and heavy-duty coaches, including mobility buses, on assigned schedules and routes and on special trips, and promotes the service to the public through good public relations. Daily work is based on organizational values.

Duties / Responsibilities

Primary Essential Work Functions: Safely operates medium and heavy-duty coach buses over prescribed routes. Ensures safe transport of all passengers Safely picks up and discharges passengers at designated bus stops. Maintains accurate on-time bus schedules. Issues transfers. Assists passengers as necessary. Safely loads/unloads, secures, ties down and assists wheelchair passengers. Provides information about bus schedules and times to the public as necessary. Exercises tact and courtesy in dealing with passengers. Observes all safety and traffic regulations. Records ridership levels for each trip, operates farebox and marquee. Reports defects or repairs needed on buses. Completes accident and incident reports as required. Operates two-way radio. Reports dangerous situations, road conditions, vehicle accidents, or crimes to the dispatcher. Operates the mobility bus when assigned. Performs inspections and paperwork for the bus before leaving the garage and when returning to the garage. Support passengers that may require additional assistance. Maintains an accurate inventory at all times of revenue supplies. Cleans buses or performs other assigned tasks during times in the work schedule that does not require driving. Promptly completes all paperwork and documentation following an accident. Calls out important locations to passengers using a public address system. Attends all mandatory staff meetings and safety trainings/videos (MMUA).

Communicates With: Internally – City Employees Externally – General Public, Passengers, City Partners Supervision: Non-supervisory Other Work Functions: Performs physical and mental demands and work environment requirements for this position. Attendance during regularly scheduled work hours and outside regular hours as necessary. Effective and respectful communication and interactions with other employees, supervisors, individuals from other organizations, and community customers. Performs other related work as assigned or apparent. The above is a general listing of job duties. Essential and non-essential functions may vary by individual position. Reasonable accommodations may be available for both essential and non-essential job duties.

Qualifications / Conditions of Employment

Conditions of Employment: Must possess (or obtain within sixty (60) days of employment) a Class B CDL with passenger endorsements and free of air brake restriction for buses larger than 15 people including the driver or 26,001 pounds gross vehicle weight and be able to drive. CDL holders must follow the guidelines listed in 49 C.F.R 383.71 & 383.5 to maintain their CDL privileges. Must satisfactorily complete a background investigation. Must satisfactorily complete a driving background examination, DOT physical examination, and drug screening as required under 49 CFR Part 655. Must have a driving record clear of revocations, suspensions, and cancelations for the past three (3) years. Must satisfactorily complete and pass an accredited defensive driving course, eight (8) hour passenger assistance course, first aid course, abuse prevention course, CPR course, and fire extinguisher course to be provided by the City of Mankato. Must meet expectations of the work functions and knowledge, skills, and abilities for the position. Must comply with organizational and departmental policies. Must comply with data practices policies and standards relative to not public data. Any access to not public data should be strictly limited to accessing the data that are necessary to fulfill the employment responsibility. While data are being accessed, incumbent should take reasonable measures to ensure the not public data are not accessed by individuals without a work reason. Once the work reason to access the data is reasonably finished the not public data must be properly stored according to city policy and the Minnesota Statutes. Safety Sensitive Notice: This is a safety sensitive position which requires cannabis pre-employment drug testing. Safety sensitive position means a job, in which an impairment caused by drug, alcohol or cannabis usage would threaten the health and safety of any person.

Hours of Work

Working hours to be determined by bid route. Schedule will vary depending on route. Position requires weekdays, evening and weekend availability.

Benefits

City of Mankato 2026 BENEFITS OVERVIEW For Regular Full-Time Employees The City of Mankato provides a comprehensive, balanced, and competitive benefits package as part of your total compensation. The City's benefits programs address both the immediate needs that you and your family may have, such as medical coverage or flexible spending accounts, and your long-term needs, such as retirement savings. The following outline of City-offered benefits serves as an overview and does not provide all provisions, limitations, and exclusions. If there is a contradiction between this and the official plan documents, the plan documents will prevail. EMPLOYER PROVIDED BENEFITS : Paid Vacation: Vacation hours may be accrued to a maximum of 50 days or 400 hours. Hours are accrued incrementally each pay period. Vacation hours may be taken in 30-minute increments. Unused balance carries over year to year. Years of Service - Vacation Days Per Year 0 - 5 years - 10 days 6 - 10 years - 15 days 11 - 14 years - 17 days 15 -20 years - 20 days 21 years - 21 days 22 years - 22 days 23 years - 23 days 24 years - 24 days 25 years - 25 days 26 years - 26 days 27 years - 27 days 28 years - 28 days 29 years - 29 days 30+ years - 30 days Paid Sick Leave: Employees earn 8 hours of sick leave per month. 11 Paid Holidays and 1 Floating Holiday: All regular full-time employees of the City, except those who are governed by a union contract or different holiday policy, receive the following paid holidays: New Year's Day Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Presidents Day Memorial Day Juneteenth Independence Day Labor Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Friday After Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day Floating Holiday Health Insurance Coverage Through Blue Cross/Blue Shield of MN: Health insurance plans to choose from: $5,000 HDHP with an HSA, $3,400 HDHP with an HSA, $500 CMM, $100 CMM/Traditional Plan Single Coverage The City will contribute 95% of the premium for the IRS Minimum Embedded Deductible Plan. The City will contribute 100% of the premium for the alternative High-Deductible plan. For all other single coverage plan options, the City will contribute at the same premium rate as the IRS minimum embedded deductible plan. Dependent Coverage (Employee + Spouse, Employee + Children, or Family) The City will contribute 90% of the premium of each High-Deductible Plan option. All other plan options the City will contribute at the same premium rate as the IRS minimum embedded deductible plan. Employee Responsibility Employees are responsible for paying the remaining percentage of premiums, which will be deducted through payroll, on a bi-weekly basis. City contributions for union members will follow negotiated contract language. Employer and employee contributions for non-union employees are shown below. Please note that union employee health insurance benefits may vary by contract. NICE Healthcare (Free to all full-time employees): NICE Healthcare is an integrated primary care clinic – meaning NICE offers almost all of the services of a traditional primary care clinic and then some. And better yet, NICE brings that care to your home, office, or wherever you happen to be. Offers employees and their household members an amazing healthcare benefit with no out-of-pocket fees. Below are the comprehensive primary care services that NICE offers: Same-Day Chat and Video Visits In-Home Visits with 35 Free Labs and Physical Tests 550+ Free Medications Can Be Prescribed by Our Clinicians Free Virtual Physical Therapy Free Virtual Mental Health Therapy Free In-Home X-rays and EKG Services Minnesota Paid Family Medical Leave Minnesota Paid Family Medical Leave is a benefit for employees to be able to have paid time off (with partial wage replacement) and job protection for employees who need to take leave for certain medical or family-care reasons. This is a State required benefit for all employers in the State of Minnesota. Premium contributions for this benefit will be at a shared cost to the City and the employee. Premium rates for 2026 are.78% of gross earnings. This will be split 50/50. Employees will see a .39% of gross wages after tax deduction. Term Life Insurance: