With the additional parking lot opening a few blocks away, Disneyland needed drivers to shuttle visitors to and from the park. Some of the new drivers are former Orange County Transportation Authority drivers who were laid off because of state budget cuts.
The park worked with the Anaheim Transportation Network and MV Transportation to hire the former OCTA drivers and lease the buses.
"We had a need. We have a new parking lot opening, and we know we needed buses to transport our guests to Disneyland, and we put two and two together and ended up with this wonderful public-private partnership that's working," said Disneyland spokeswoman Suzie Brown.
Sixteen former OCTA drivers have been hired, and the company needs at least 35 more to get behind the wheel.
"What we're looking for is anybody that's experienced that can help us out. The more experience, the better," said Andrew Higuera of MV Transportation.
The job pays about $11 an hour, and there are morning and afternoon shifts.
"It's a fairly simple service that everybody benefits from. Disneyland benefits from it, displaced workers benefit from it, and MV Transportation benefits from it," Higuera said. "It's a win-win all around.
Disney is the parent company of ABC7.
