Employment

[Enviro 500]

Not intending to discourage you from pursuing your dream career as a transit op, but do keep in mind that there are many private companies based in Vancouver that are eager to hire bus operators, in particular during the summer months when cruise ships bring in thousands of tourists every week!

Surely enough......compared to transit, you won't get that shiny Xcelsior to play with; the hourly wage is at best two-third of the transit "premium" salaries; and don't expect any benefits whatsoever. But, the bus driving experience that you gain while waiting for the transit "funding cycle" to rebound will only further strengthen your resume, and thus allowing you to become an even more competitive qualifiable candidate towards the future!

Don't narrow your job-hunt process down to one single employer; instead, opening up to other opportunities is another great way to continuously build your professional experience profile leading to transit. Furthermore, the experience that you gain may even potentially generate new insights into what you REALLY want after all, perhaps beyond what you think you have always wanted at this current moment!

Dave

[translink fan]

Very good point by dave made especially with Private bus companies. Try and apply to multiple charter bus companies when or before April comes around, i heard cruise season starts May and its a big one! Surely you'll have a better chance! Good luck!

[busdriverslim]

when the company is doing limited hireing they look for fresh people with no experience. you are easier to train when you dont have any preconcieved ideas about how things should be

just my 2 cents

[captaintrolley]

when the company is doing limited hireing they look for fresh people with no experience. you are easier to train when you dont have any preconcieved ideas about how things should be

just my 2 cents

That may be true, but there is something to be said for experience and reliability. Experienced people are easier to train, they just aren't as moldable. As an experienced person you can't go around telling your boss and others how the job should be done from the moment you set foot on the premises. (even though you would like to). However as time goes on others will see that you have a wealth of knowledge and may draw upon that. There is two sides to this argument. I just found that in Vancouver, if you are young and pretty you have a great chance of being hired. Many employers (esp retail and hospitality) tend to go heavy on 'image' - never mind that the person is dumb as a stick but if he or she is pretty when they smile and say 'oh so sorry' as they make their mistakes they got a great chance at being hired. (just my two cents - coming from someone who is old and plain looking with 22 years experience in Transit Industry).

[Enviro 500]

when the company is doing limited hireing they look for fresh people with no experience. you are easier to train when you dont have any preconcieved ideas about how things should be

just my 2 cents

The company is looking for people that have relevant experience as an asset, but also at the same time wiling to adapt to the ways the company wants to get things done......the key is to balance experience with trainabiity, and managing to achieve the best of both worlds.

But yes, you are absolutely correct in identifying the distinction between "how thigs should be done" versus "how things are done", and it is too common for experienced drivers to mix the two up: when was the last time you actually stopped and did a complete 360 degrees check before backing up into a parking spot?

I spent the past 2 summers driving buses for private companies, and the biggest reward from the experience is the mental preparation that was accumulated through working as a bus operator: aside from the fun aspects about the job, I got first-hand experience about the challenging aspects, the occasional bad days, the fellow passengers and coworkers that can light up your day, or completely ruin that nice and hot sunny summer day that would've otherwise been perfect for the job. Yes, it is true that I do have perceptions about how things are ought to be done in specific scenarios, based on past experience. As much as these ways of getting things done may differ from what is written in the text book, I think it is absolutely beneficial for everyone to learn before choosing this career path......otherwise, you may be in for a nasty surprise!

In conclusion, my personal advice for anyone choosing transit as a career: gain some direct experience beforehand, not because you will sound smart and knowledgeable in the interview; instead, it is a good exercise to mentally prepare yourself about what you're about to get yourself into! Bus operator may very well be a fun and exciting career......but just as everything else in life, there is a hefty price tag and a list of fine prints that you have to become aware of!

Dave

[highfive]

Agreed! I will say the most important thing to do is love your job and use your brain and not the throttle or brake... it takes a bit of work but once you master it, you'll have no stress. Driving Conventional Buses for the first six months can be a challenge but over time, it becomes easier. From my experience, it is easier to start with Community Shuttle or driving Charter Buses then moving onto a Transit Operator position, even if for only 6 months. It will ease any headaches and ensure your success.

If you are desperate for a Transit Operator position, consider looking one Province east to Alberta. Calgary will be hiring mid year and Edmonton is short 100 drivers. I would get on with something, whether it be Transit Operator in Alberta, Charter Bus Operator or Community Shuttle Operator. Don't wait for the Conventional Operator posting with Coast Mountain Bus Company.

[Steven]

Agreed! I will say the most important thing to do is love your job and use your brain and not the throttle or brake... it takes a bit of work but once you master it, you'll have no stress. Driving Conventional Buses for the first six months can be a challenge but over time, it becomes easier. From my experience, it is easier to start with Community Shuttle or driving Charter Buses then moving onto a Transit Operator position, even if for only 6 months. It will ease any headaches and ensure your success.

If you are desperate for a Transit Operator position, consider looking one Province east to Alberta. Calgary will be hiring mid year and Edmonton is short 100 drivers. I would get on with something, whether it be Transit Operator in Alberta, Charter Bus Operator or Community Shuttle Operator. Don't wait for the Conventional Operator posting with Coast Mountain Bus Company.

Wow! Thanks for the wealth of information you've added. I've decided that I really want to make the change and become a transit operator as I've stated above. I'm 28 years old. I've got just over 2 years experience driving for a tour bus company out of kamloops. I drive multi day tours to casinos alone with no tour guide, sometimes with. Drive charter work which has a wide range of clientele. Being that I've only driven bus for only 2 years and I'm young, I don't feel set in my ways and am willing to adapt to new company policy and procedure. The reason I don't stay with the charter bus industry is the pay is too low, sometimes leave on multi dayers (I've hot a family) and during the slow months (like now in January) my pay cheque is like rubbing too pennies together. The charter bus industry has done me good and I've got a wealth of experience from it, but I want a career change and id like to be a transit operator eventually. My wife is Chinese so we'd like to settle in and around the big city. Not wanting to move to Victoria(transit is hiring there) . To isolated for her, also no desire on my part to haul my family over the water. So ill just be patient. Apply for Protrans possibly who is hiring too. Driving sky train would be quite cool too.

Anybody know anything about protrans Canada line attendant? Is that driving the trains too, or not? I read the description, says training on manual operation of trains. Not sure if that means driving them. Have you seem ads from Protrans for train operators?

Thanks all

[captaintrolley]

Hi Steven !!!

Any luck getting on with CMBC yet?

[Steven]

Hi Steven !!!

Any luck getting on with CMBC yet?

Hello there. Got video testing tomorrow afternoon. Hope it goes well

[captaintrolley]

Hello there. Got video testing tomorrow afternoon. Hope it goes well

Good Luck !!!

[Enviro 500]

For anyone that is thinking of applying with CMBC, right NOW is a great time to do so! Postings for Farebox Attendant, Community Shuttle Operator Trainee and Conventional Transit Operator Trainee are ALL opened as of right NOW! =)

http://www.translink...Us/Careers.aspx

If you are going through the application process right now, good luck and all the best! =)

Dave

[Express691]

Is there anything bad about becoming a transit operator? I'm still in high school and I'm looking at this as one of my options. I heard they get verbal abuse and are ticked by mechanical problems.

[SidneyTransitfan]

Is there anything bad about becoming a transit operator? I'm still in high school and I'm looking at this as one of my options. I heard they get verbal abuse and are ticked by mechanical problems.

I spoke with a CMBC driver before I went off on my U.S trip about a month ago. He informed me that - unlike in the U.S where it is a federal offence to attack an operator - in Vancouver the public are pretty much free to do what they like with an operator; spit, swear or even assault - and next-to-nothing is done about it. Unfortunately there is no law about attacking an operator of a transit bus, not yet anyways. If a driver defends theirself, they are held accountable instead of the attacker/s.

[Citaro]

I spoke with a CMBC driver before I went off on my U.S trip about a month ago. He informed me that - unlike in the U.S where it is a federal offence to attack an operator - in Vancouver the public are pretty much free to do what they like with an operator; spit, swear or even assault - and next-to-nothing is done about it. Unfortunately there is no law about attacking an operator of a transit bus, not yet anyways. If a driver defends theirself, they are held accountable instead of the attacker/s.

You make it sound like anyone can get away with murder when it comes to victimizing transit operators; surely this is not the case. An assault against a transit operator is certainly an offence, but it is treated no differently than an assault on any other person, and this is solely where the issue lies. There is a push to make the punishment for assaulting transit operators equivalent to that of assaulting a police officer--as the law currently regards assaulting a peace officer as being more culpable/blameworthy than assaulting an average person, but this is a movement that is still progressing with very little traction. Your assertion that the operators who defend themselves against their attackers are held accountable instead of the perpetrator is also invalid. From a legal standpoint, nobody who uses reasonable force to defend themselves will ever be held accountable. The only truth your statement holds is that if the punishment is either too lenient or non-existent, the victim will definitely be subject to a high degree of distress. Coast Mountain Bus Company also has some questionable policies regarding what operators ought to and ought not to do in certain situations, but this adds a level of complexity I cannot go into as I am not familiar with these policies nor do I believe it to be appropriate for company policy to contradict the law, which appears to be the case in some instances.

[SidneyTransitfan]

You make it sound like anyone can get away with murder when it comes to victimizing transit operators; surely this is not the case. An assault against a transit operator is certainly an offence, but it is treated no differently than an assault on any other person, and this is solely where the issue lies. There is a push to make the punishment for assaulting transit operators equivalent to that of assaulting a police officer--as the law currently regards assaulting a peace officer as being more culpable/blameworthy than assaulting an average person, but this is a movement that is still progressing with very little traction. Your assertion that the operators who defend themselves against their attackers are held accountable instead of the perpetrator is also invalid. From a legal standpoint, nobody who uses reasonable force to defend themselves will ever be held accountable. The only truth your statement holds is that if the punishment is either too lenient or non-existent, the victim will definitely be subject to a high degree of distress. Coast Mountain Bus Company also has some questionable policies regarding what operators ought to and ought not to do in certain situations, but this adds a level of complexity I cannot go into as I am not familiar with these policies nor do I believe it to be appropriate for company policy to contradict the law, which appears to be the case in some instances.

*chuckles* I don't know why, but your opening statement to this message made me read this as though Lt. Tuvok from Star Trek Voyager were saying it to me, XD.

I do admit it was a little obtuse for me to say that - however I'm just passing the word along from a transit operator I talked to.

[Citaro]

*chuckles* I don't know why, but your opening statement to this message made me read this as though Lt. Tuvok from Star Trek Voyager were saying it to me, XD.

I do admit it was a little obtuse for me to say that - however I'm just passing the word along from a transit operator I talked to.

I understood the meaning and intention of your initial post, I simply disagreed with the level of exaggeration utilized in trying to make your point. I, too have come across many operators with varying thoughts on the issue, but it sounds to me like you spoke with someone who regarded themselves as being severely at-risk of an undesired altercation who was accompanied by the belief that there is nothing that can be done about it. Transit operators are at risk of verbal and physical abuse, but this is not unique to Vancouver or even to the occupation. Further, the occurrence of these negative events is often misunderstood as misinformation (in the form of rumors) is rampant amongst operators and there are certainly issues pertaining to the (legal) remedies for these events.

[Enviro 500]

Is there anything bad about becoming a transit operator? I'm still in high school and I'm looking at this as one of my options. I heard they get verbal abuse and are ticked by mechanical problems.

First of all, let's answer your question!

Just as any occupations in this world, no jobs out there can be said to be perfectly safe and secure.......by the end of the day, a job is what you make out of it. Best way to look at it is to think through a cost-benefit assessment: if the rewards of the job outweighs the potential moral and physical hazards associated with the occupation, then by all means make it count and at least give it a try!

But yes, from a realist standpoint, it is always a wise idea to get into any jobs by expecting the best, think of ways to make a blast out of it, but also prepare for the worst given that odd chance of things not going well as planned. If you love buses, you love driving, you are a sociable person that can maintain positive interactions with strangers, and you don't mind being in the crowd, bus driving can be a very cushy and rewarding career option.

Let's focus on the +POSITIVE+ aspects first:

1. Office Politics: You don't have to deal with complex hierarchy of management and office politics almost inevitable in any retail business and office settings (assistant branch manager, office manager, general manager, marketing supervisor, hygenic supervisor, sales manager.....etc.etc.)

2. Outdoor working environment: You get to work outdoors and "travel" everyday!

3. No "Work from home" expectations: You don't have to deal with any additional work at home starting from the moment you get off the bus. You are considered "off-duty" and thus entitled to uninhibitated freedom as soon as you complete your assigned shift!

4. Job stability! Whether this will still be the case 20 years from now remains up for speculations and debates; as of right now, being a transit operator is one of the few jobs that is known for providing job security, medical benefits, livable salaries and retirement pension. Assuming the Canadian government doesn't default within the next 100 years, public transit operations will not be outsourced to private companies without government oversight, and robots won't take over bus drivers anytime soon, the career prospects are promising.

5. Limitation on workplace nepotism: everything is based on seniority, your work hours and work quality are not influenced by how well you get along with your workplace supervisors.

6. FUN! The last is probably the most obvious advantage for most of us: we love being on buses, and I assume most of us love driving at the same time! If you can settle in with a stable career that basically hires you to work around your passion, why not?

OK, and let's take a look at the -NEGATIVES- (and how to minimize their impact)

1. Verbal abuse. Anybody can say whatever they want in this country, as granted by the 1982 Constitution to the right of free speech......for all that it matters, I can drop an F-bomb right now and there isn't much that you can do (other than getting George to ban my account ) By the end of the day, what truly counts is how you perceive and interpret what I have to say, for words don't naturally become abusive unless you let them abuse you! When you get the skills to defuse the meanings and prevent them from hurting you, this issue will become largely insignificant, to an extent that it is almost non-existent.

2. Mechanical problems. As a bus driver, your job is to drive the bus; and if the bus becomes no longer drivable in a safe manner, you do the obvious: report it, and don't drive! Simple as that.......mechanical problems, as implied by the words, are problems intended for the mechanics, who are well-trained and certified to address to mechanical problems! Based on personal experience with bus breakdowns, the hardest thing to deal with in instances of mechanical problems is to sit and sleep for an hour or two, stay with the bus and try to stay awake until mechanics arrive. Beyond that, there is nothing stressful about it from the transit operator perspective. A minority few among passengers may lash out due out of frustration at the *situation* (note the wording!), but surprisingly based on personal encounter in the past, most passengers tend to understand or even become sympathetic to the driver, most of them are sane enough to realize that it is not the bus driver's fault when the bus breaks down.

3. Physical assault. Previous commentators have gone into great details about how the Canadian judicial system lacks credible leverage in punishing assailants responsible for assaulting bus drivers, but what they also need to focus on is the fact that occurances of assault on transit operators cannot be solely blamed on the lack of harsh legal sanctions in our judicial system. There is certainly a strong correlation between weak judicial system and increase of criminal assault cases, but it is not a direct causal relationship. Assaults on transit operators are also caused by other contributing variables such as abilities by transit operators to de-escalate conflicting tensions, and the lack of immediate emergency response provided by the employer. Do the best to your abilities to defuse conflicts among or with passengers, if they want free rides then let them on for free; if they yell at you for whatever reason, convince yourself that whatever they have to say are irrelevant to your overall wellness; if they want to get off the bus while you're in lane 1 stuck at a red light, let them off if it's safe to do so........do whatever it takes to prevent conflicts from occuring, and do everything you can to prevent tension escalations in cases of conflicts. Do everything you can, to the best of your abilities, to minimize chances of physical assaults. By the end of the day, if you end up being the unlucky one, then go on WCB and perhaps see it as a signal to try something new within the company, or seize the opportunity to disembark and begin a brand new career journey!

4. Delays. Some operators stress themselve out over not meeting scheduled timing points......why? Drive at speed limit in a safe manner, take time to load and unload as many wheelchairs as needed, do whatever that is SAFE and COURTEOUS, and Tcomm will do their part and give you instructions on how to get back onto the schedule. If you can't by the end of the day, fill in an honest OT slip which translates into more money into your wallet!

Conclusion: Go through the benefits and costs as outlined above, do a comparison between the two and see if the benefits are attractive to your career goals, and assess the drawbacks and assess if you have the capacity to handle them. Transit Operator is not an easy job, but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to do the job properly and get some fun out of it. My personal advice, which is also based my own career strategy, is to at least attain high school grad certificate, and try to complete a basic degree in any undergraduate / apprenticeship / vocational education disciplines, such that you have an added advantage in getting through the competitive application process of becoming a transit operator in the future. At the same time, it is also important to leave your career options open-ended, in case someday in the future when you decide you would like to pursue an alternative career goal.

Dave

[captaintrolley]

You are considered "off-duty" and thus entitled to uninhibited freedom as soon as you complete your assigned shift!

While in uniform you still represent the company and there are places you should not go to and things you should not do while in uniform. And as you become known to the public, many will still recognize you in civies and will be quick to phone in and complain if they see you doing something unbecoming of a public servant. Yes, you have the right to be a civilian, and a right to your own opinion as a civilian, but many will not see it that way.

[Enviro 500]

While in uniform you still represent the company and there are places you should not go to and things you should not do while in uniform. And as you become known to the public, many will still recognize you in civies and will be quick to phone in and complain if they see you doing something unbecoming of a public servant. Yes, you have the right to be a civilian, and a right to your own opinion as a civilian, but many will not see it that way.

I agree with the validity of what you are saying, but you're missing the context of my post.

I am more interested in setting up a comparison showing the differences between standard office / retail work and transit operator as a career option, as opposed to delving into company policies and regulations on transit employee behaviours. Relatively speaking, becoming a transit op is nice in that you are no longer obligated to spend any time in any work-related activities as soon as you are off-duty, while many other jobs out there will bear the unspoken expectation of "work from home", or in extreme cases even unpaid OT.

I am sure none of us will turn down the prospect of becoming a transit operator just because you can't visit any liquor stores / brothels / adult stores while in uniform.....and if you really need to visit any of these places immediately after work, change into civilian clothing as soon as you're off work, then right there your problems are solved!

[Dane]

Drivers may be recognized as "civilians" because they are... just sayin'. Great post from Enviro 500 there and certainly gives a lot to think about. Worrying about conduct in / out of uniform is a red herring and applies to every job, everywhere. Bus drivers, while critically important to safety are obviously not bound to some sort of crazy public expectation.

[captaintrolley]

I agree with the validity of what you are saying, but you're missing the context of my post.

I am more interested in setting up a comparison showing the differences between standard office / retail work and transit operator as a career option, as opposed to delving into company policies and regulations on transit employee behaviours. Relatively speaking, becoming a transit op is nice in that you are no longer obligated to spend any time in any work-related activities as soon as you are off-duty, while many other jobs out there will bear the unspoken expectation of "work from home", or in extreme cases even unpaid OT.

I am sure none of us will turn down the prospect of becoming a transit operator just because you can't visit any liquor stores / brothels / adult stores while in uniform.....and if you really need to visit any of these places immediately after work, change into civilian clothing as soon as you're off work, then right there your problems are solved!

I am not missing the context of your post, I am merely pointing out a weakness of that point / post. I wouldn't say that a driver is entitled to uninhibited freedom right when stepping off the bus at the end of shift. I've been in the workforce since 1976, and I have been a transit enthusiast even longer. I know exactly what you mean, including all the exemptions and implications. I was basically stripped of some of my rights (a right to my own opinion mainly) while employed by ETS, so I can tell you this does exist.

[Enviro 500]

You are absolutely correct in many ways and I respect the validity of everything that you just said. I think what we need to clarify on is the different ways in which you and me are contextualizing the term "uninhibited freedom". The context in which I am applying the term is made in reference to off-duty workload (as implied by the subheading ""No "work from home" expectations""), which does not exist for transit ops, hence resulting in "uninhibited freedom when off-duty" in a sense that one is no longer bound by work assignments or any career-related activities while off-the-clock. Meanwhile, your definition of "uninhibited freedom" is placed in a broad-based general philosophical concept implying that "I can't do WHATEVER I want". Following-up on your logic of argument, let me ask you a question: since when has ANY of us been granted genuine "uninhibited freedom" in life?

What you have said all along are common aspects that exist in absolutely every employment opportunities that you will find. Much as there is a standard of expectation imposed on anyone wearing uniforms regardless of profession (as Dane pointed out in his post), the extent of limit on free speech is consistently enforced by ANY public or private sector employers. If you work in a supermarket as a cashier and you decide its in your interest to preach to your customers about how the prices at WalMart across the street are way better, you're probably out of the game; if you're a butcher but you decide to become an animals rights activist and speak out for the poor cow your boss just bought from the farm, you can count on losing the job real quick! Systematic oppression on certain personal rights exist in any job opportunities, the only way to avoid it altogether is by becoming jobless......and even then, we are still constrained by social expectations and standards. The fact that I have to wear clothes on the street and have to pay after every meal, following your course of argument, means I am still barred from uninhibited freedom as a human being after all!

The point which I want to convey is that it is unfair to cite constraints on freedom while in uniform, and constraints from the right to freely speak against one's own employer, as negative shortcomings associated with transit operator as a profession. These constrains are also applied to many other professions ranging from retail associates to policeman to mailman to teachers. Hopefully this helps to clarify the context in which my discussion is focused.

Dave

[mashedpotato13]

I spoke with a CMBC driver before I went off on my U.S trip about a month ago. He informed me that - unlike in the U.S where it is a federal offence to attack an operator - in Vancouver the public are pretty much free to do what they like with an operator; spit, swear or even assault - and next-to-nothing is done about it. Unfortunately there is no law about attacking an operator of a transit bus, not yet anyways. If a driver defends theirself, they are held accountable instead of the attacker/s.

IIRC, those Transit Rule stickers located on every bus state that assaulting an employee is prohibited and would be considered an offence and would be punished according to the Criminal Code.

However, I do realize that you are talking about the law, whereas the example I mentioned is just transit policy.

[captaintrolley]

The context in which I am applying the term is made in reference to off-duty workload (as implied by the subheading ""No "work from home" expectations""), which does not exist for transit ops, hence resulting in "uninhibited freedom when off-duty" in a sense that one is no longer bound by work assignments or any career-related activities while off-the-clock.

I'm pretty sure we all know that.

[Brando737]

I figure I'll add my 2 cents. I am a Transit Operator with CMBC. I love my job, it's what I've wanted to do since I was a kid. Sure, there are some days that I dont feel like working or want it to be over with quick, but that comes with any job. Like the others said, it's what you make of it. I would reccomend this job to any one that is interested in it and I have no regrets in becoming a Transit Operator. The only negative for me is sitting all day which can be tough sometimes, but I try to walk as much as I can on and off shift.