WAUKESHA, Wis. — Whether it is driving a college sports team or taking a group of travelers to the airport in Chicago, you will likely see Coach USA coach buses driving down Wisconsin interstates all the time.

However, you might not have considered that you could be in the driver's seat of one of their buses.

Waukesha-based Coach USA is looking to hire a large number of drivers. Because of a high need, they are offering generous hiring bonuses. The company is offering up to $6,000 in hiring bonuses for new full-time drivers who already have a Commercial Drivers License.

Those who do not already have a CDL can still get up to $4,000.

Coach USA is willing to train new drivers. Lewis Jiles is a driver for the company and is also in charge of training. He said one of his favorite parts of the job is helping new drivers gain the confidence they need to operate a big coach bus.

“One of the things I really enjoy is being able to teach people how to do this job effectively,” said Jiles. 

While learning to drive a bus may sound intimidating, Jiles said most people are able to get the hang of it quickly with practice.

“We get them really comfortable by doing a bunch of closed course maneuvers which is not on the road and they have cones that are out there, but most of the time they are in a closed environment,” said Jiles. 

With demand for chartering coach buses high, Coach USA general manager Tom Dieckelman said hiring enough drivers is important for their company’s overall business. The more drivers they have, the more jobs they can take on.

“There are colleges contacting us and different tours. We can’t do them all. We would like to,” he said. “Pre-pandemic in the good old days, we were able to do a lot of that stuff, so our chance to grow back is right there.”

To learn more about the jobs available, including more details on the hiring bonuses and job requirements, visit the Coach USA hiring website.