Operations Dispatcher Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Paratransit Dispatcher

Location: Bronx, NY
Job Type: Full-Time
Pay: $25.00 an hour
Company: First Student

About the Role

First Student is hiring a Paratransit Dispatcher to support daily transportation operations, route coverage, driver communication, and on-time service performance.

The Dispatcher plays a critical role in coordinating paratransit vehicles, drivers, schedules, passenger pick-ups, drop-offs, and real-time service updates. This position requires strong communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to make quick decisions in a fast-paced transportation environment.

The ideal candidate has experience in dispatch, paratransit, transportation, logistics, customer service, or terminal operations.

What We Offer

• Career advancement opportunities with a leading transportation company
• Positive and team-focused work environment
• Opportunity to support safe and reliable passenger transportation
• Training and support from experienced operations leaders

Responsibilities

• Dispatch paratransit vehicles and monitor daily route coverage
• Coordinate drivers, routes, schedules, and service adjustments throughout the day
• Support on-time performance for passenger pick-ups and drop-offs
• Communicate with drivers, passengers, operations leadership, and contracted customers
• Handle heavy phone and two-way radio traffic
• Respond to delays, driver call-outs, vehicle issues, passenger concerns, and service disruptions
• Provide real-time solutions for pick-up, drop-off, routing, and scheduling issues
• Counsel, coach, and support drivers as needed
• Report driver, scheduling, passenger, and customer concerns to the Operations Supervisor or Contract Manager
• Serve as a communication liaison with contracted customers and internal operations teams
• Assist with daily route scheduling, service coverage, and operational adjustments
• May assist with billing, driver payroll, reservations, reporting, or clerical duties
• May perform backup driver duties, if properly licensed and qualified
• Support special projects and day-to-day transportation operations as assigned

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required
• Previous dispatch, transportation, paratransit, logistics, terminal operations, or driver experience preferred
• Basic knowledge of radio dispatch equipment preferred
• Strong communication and customer service skills
• Ability to work under time constraints and meet deadlines
• Strong problem-solving skills in a fast-paced environment
• Computer skills, including ability to use dispatch, routing, scheduling, email, and office systems
• Ability to communicate professionally with drivers, passengers, customers, and operations leadership
• Ability to remain calm and organized while handling multiple priorities

Preferred Experience

• 3-5 years of dispatch, transportation, paratransit, logistics, or operations experience
• Experience with ADA paratransit, passenger transportation, NEMT, or demand-response transportation
• Experience handling high-volume phone and radio communications
• Experience with routing, scheduling, or transportation management systems
• CDL, passenger endorsement, or prior professional driving experience is a plus, but not required unless backup driving is part of the role

DOT Requirement

This position is subject to DOT drug testing and physical requirements. Under DOT Regulation 49 CFR Part 40, the use of Schedule I drugs, including marijuana, is not authorized for any reason.

Why Join First Student?

At First Student, safety, reliability, and customer service are at the center of everything we do. As a Paratransit Dispatcher, you will help ensure passengers receive safe, timely, and dependable transportation every day.

First for a reason:

At First Student, we are a family of 60,000+ employees who take pride in safely transporting more than 5 million students and passengers to and from their destinations each day! Our family of brands include Transco, Total Transportation, Maggies Paratransit, and GVC II. Our employees are at the forefront of safety and innovation; they create and implement the most advanced training and technology the transportation industry has to offer.

In the state of Washington, all technician and driving positions, including but not limited to van drivers and any other position requiring employees to drive a company-owned vehicle, are considered safety-sensitive and are therefore subject to drug and alcohol testing, including cannabis.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. First is also committed to providing a drug-free workplace. First will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance, and any other fair chance law. Philadelphia's Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards Ordinance Poster is at this link or upon request https://www.phila.gov/media/20210423160847/Fair-Chance-Hiring-law-poster.pdf.

About us
An industry leader famous for our yellow school buses and service and safety excellence, we’ve provided student transportation services to schools for over 100 years. Continually investing in the services of the future, we’re proud to be part of FirstGroup America – the largest provider of safe, reliable and sustainable surface passenger transportation services in North America.
Industry leader
We safely operate more than one third of all contracted school buses in North America.
Together our 50,000 school buses travel nearly 600 million miles per year — the equivalent of 1,200 round trips to the moon.
We operate in around 550 locations throughout 38 U.S. states and 8 Canadian provinces.
Innovation
We were the first school bus company to utilize global positioning systems (GPS), so at any one time we know where all of our buses are and how fast they’re travelling.
Passionate about safety, we’ve installed Safety Crossing Gates on the front of all of our school buses and use the Child Check-MateTM electronic reminder system to make sure no sleeping children remain inside a bus at the end of each route.
Awards & recognition
We won the Occupational Excellence Achievement Award from the National Safety Council two years in a row.
Dedicated to safety, FirstGroup received the National Safety Council’s (NSC) Green Cross for Safety Medal - the highest award for safety in North America.
Teamwork and trust
It takes a diverse team of skilled professionals to provide a safe, effective and efficient student transportation system. From our school bus drivers and location managers to routers, dispatchers and fleet technician mechanics, the work we do every day makes a big impact on the daily lives of students, parents, local communities and school district partners.
We’re very proud of our elite team of over 55,000 dedicated, caring and diverse professionals. And they are the #1 reason we’re trusted by over 1,400 school districts - more than any other provider. Everybody here plays their part in creating a positive school bus experience.
Our culture
We live and breathe our vision and values. They are embedded in our culture and drive our commitment to our customers and communities. Our culture fosters growth and promotes respect, reliability, responsibility and safety. And we recruit people who share these values and will work together to build strong and trusting partnerships in the communities we serve.
Safety – Although our safety record is twice as safe as the industry average, we continually seek out opportunities to enhance our operational and safety initiatives.
Learning – Through our learning culture that spans over 550 locations, we receive and share insight from our people to enhance our service now and in the future.
Making a difference - By doing our job well, we make a positive impact on many lives – including the millions of students who travel with us every school day.
Careers for all – We’re an Equal Opportunity Employer and an Employer of Choice.
By consistently encouraging and supporting an open dialogue with our people and partners, we’re able to share new ideas and develop new ways to meet the needs of our customers and passengers. At First Student, you’ll feel empowered to serve your community. So join the team and start to make a difference.