The Van Driver for the Council on Aging is responsible for the safe and reliable transportation of the Town’s older adults and individuals with disabilities to and from appointed destinations while exercising considerable caution and safety when driving passengers. Special emphasis is placed on facilitating communication between the public, passengers, and appropriate Town staff as well as the ability to work independently while exercising good judgment involving transportation issues. The employee plays an essential role in delivering professional, courteous, and dependable customer service standards and must be comfortable working with a diverse population, as well as collaborating with coworkers and other Town Departmental staff.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Assist clients safely boarding and exiting the vehicle and offering physical assistance to any passengers.
- Adhere to the driving policy (including seat belt safety) as determined by the COA Director and MassDOT.
- Maintain accurate daily logs of trips, mileage, and tickets to be submitted to Dispatcher daily.
- Monitor condition of the vehicle (including but not limited to tire, gas, oil, battery, water, direction signals, seat belts) and perform monthly preventive maintenance as required.
- Report any vehicle deficiencies/problems to the Director/Dispatcher as soon as possible.
- Always maintain the cleanliness of vehicles and adhere to a weekly cleaning schedule.
- Collect and log fare, tickets, or vouchers (as applicable) and submit them to Dispatch daily.
- Observe regular passengers for changes in behavior and other issues and report any concerns to the COA Director.
- Ensure the vehicle is locked and secured at the end of each day.
- Must adhere to assigned schedules.
- Monitor and report road conditions and confer with Director to determine travel safety.
- Attend training courses as necessary.
- Maintain a professional, courteous and helpful disposition always.
- Perform other related duties as required or requested by the Director.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Position requires a High School diploma or equivalent and one (1) year of experience driving a passenger van in comparable weather conditions; experience working with older adults desirable; experience operating manual/automatic lifts, and communication equipment; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Must possess a valid Massachusetts driver’s license; Willing to complete CPR/AED certification and MARTAP driver training. A satisfactory Massachusetts CORI check is also required. Applicants must be able to pay attention to detail, maintain professional working relationships with department staff and the public, be a self-starter and possess strong interpersonal and communication skills. Regular and punctual attendance is a requirement of the position.
The Town of Ludlow is an (EOE) equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.