Business View Magazine Feb 2023

185 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2 GREATER R I CHMOND TRANS I T COMPANY guidelines between age and mileage. We are also looking towards expansion, from the standpoint of people that we need to operate the buses, as well as what types of buses to accommodate the different types of modes that we want to introduce over the next 3 to 10 years.” The implementation of an Enterprise Resource Plan (ERP) is also underway, along with other back office infrastructure which is needed to support expansion. “As we expand, we’re going to need, potentially, more office spaces as well as possibly more space to park and house vehicles,” adds Zinzarella. Along with plans for expansion comes the need to recruit new bus operators while retaining current ones. Adams asserts, “They are the backbone because, without bus operators, we can’t provide a service.” Represented by a union, all of GRTC’s operators and mechanics are under a collective bargaining agreement. During the pandemic, an effort was made to adjust compensation, to show appreciation for their continued work and exceptional job during the challenges of the time. This was done through a series of COVID Appreciation bonuses. Incentives for new hires and additional training stipends for those in a training program have also been introduced, along with bonuses as they progress through the training. “We’ve also recognized that we wanted to incentivize the existing employees outside the terms of the contract for the hours they put in, and recognize the off shifts, the night shifts, and weekend shifts that have more work-life balance issues. So, we’ve done that,” Zinzarella reports. “The employees feel that this is a familial environment. We would like to keep that legacy feeling, and we want to provide a workplace that they enjoy coming to, where they feel that they’re being recognized, and where they’re contributing, as well as feeling that they’re having compensation and benefits programs that are very competitive with other opportunities. It’s