TTC Application Process

[b- yyz]

Nothing yet.

Congrats b-yyz.

Hi ashdod. U got any news for training date yet.

[ttcwait]

Thanks Andyman, tough not knowing what to expect at training but I will put my best effort forward to all of it. I'm guessing I'll be 1 of very few who aren't transferring in? Kind of intimidating...

Beautiful to start in subway. No night buses or fare disputes. Unfortunately the training is a lot harder and failure rates higher. Good luck.

[Ttc102]

Yup, this. They pick the equipment up physically at Greenwood, but the physical BD Subway division is located at Danforth Division.

Hi sorry about my lack of knowledge, what is BD line?

[LMESSIAH]

I don't buy into the harder training argument. Passing is highest in bus but they're not taking into account boat loads of bus hires can drive a bus before they even started training. Where as no one has experience driving a Toronto subway. Unless they're being rehired. You'd need to take the numbers of all new drivers for those stats to be accurate.

BD bloor Danforth YUS yonge university.

[nokia_b0y]

A compassionate transfer from a bus operator should overwrite a new trainee for subway so perhaps the wait isn't as long as we think if they are putting new people on subway

[LMESSIAH]

I don't believe that's true there's names on the sst list to transfer to subway that put bids in long ago all while both subway divisions have been hiring new guys.

They are on there as compassionate transfers too.

[andyman]

I don't buy into the harder training argument. Passing is highest in bus but they're not taking into account boat loads of bus hires can drive a bus before they even started training. Where as no one has experience driving a Toronto subway. Unless they're being rehired. You'd need to take the numbers of all new drivers for those stats to be accurate.

BD bloor Danforth YUS yonge university.

Failure rates are higher in subway is a fact. Having said that even though transfers in must pass an exam to get on waiting list they must also obviously pass the training as well. Unfortunately the failure rate for transfers is higher than new hires as possibly the transfers don't take the training as serious as a new does. The fall back of going back to your previous mode exists for transfers who fail unlike new hires who end up out the door. Subway training is way more stressful than the other modes. I know someone who just passed the training and 2 weeks in was about to quit and go back to bus but decided to stick it out and luckily passed by the skin of his teeth.

I don't believe that's true there's names on the sst list to transfer to subway that put bids in long ago all while both subway divisions have been hiring new guys.

They are on there as compassionate transfers too.

I don't know now but not long ago the list waiting to transfer to subway was a long one.

[thisbuds4u]

Failure rates are higher in subway is a fact. Having said that even though transfers in must pass an exam to get on waiting list they must also obviously pass the training as well. Unfortunately the failure rate for transfers is higher than new hires as possibly the transfers don't take the training as serious as a new does. The fall back of going back to your previous mode exists for transfers who fail unlike new hires who end up out the door. Subway training is way more stressful than the other modes. I know someone who just passed the training and 2 weeks in was about to quit and go back to bus but decided to stick it out and luckily passed by the skin of his teeth. I don't know now but not long ago the list waiting to transfer to subway was a long one.

As a note to people interested in transferring, if you fail the transfer training you may not be sent back to the division you came from. Ttc can transfer you to another division you are trained in as they see fit. Seen it happen a few times.

[nokia_b0y]

As a note to people interested in transferring, if you fail the transfer training you may not be sent back to the division you came from. Ttc can transfer you to another division you are trained in as they see fit. Seen it happen a few times.

That is 200% correct. You lose your division

[LMESSIAH]

It's still a long list and new hires are trumping it. Even the compassionate transfers.

And I know the subway being highest fails is a fact but its a flawed stat is all I'm saying. Bus hires have an advantage right out of the gate. The only way to determine which ACTUALLY had the highest failure. Would be to calculate all people with no experience results on all three modes as opposed to half the operators that have exp in one mode and everyone with none in the other two.

And you don't necessarily lose your division they go where they're needed most as per the contract. That could happen to be the division you left. Obviously mathematically that's unlikely.

[iforparry]

I'm very happy Nokia and thanks to all for your support on this board thus far. I know it's hard to get straight off the street now just to study hard and listen to the instructors I suppose? Wow!

Well done!

[ttcwait]

Thanks iforparry and thanks everyone else for freaking me out over training for the subway. Lol

[andyman]

It's still a long list and new hires are trumping it. Even the compassionate transfers.

And I know the subway being highest fails is a fact but its a flawed stat is all I'm saying. Bus hires have an advantage right out of the gate. The only way to determine which ACTUALLY had the highest failure. Would be to calculate all people with no experience results on all three modes as opposed to half the operators that have exp in one mode and everyone with none in the other two.

And you don't necessarily lose your division they go where they're needed most as per the contract. That could happen to be the division you left. Obviously mathematically that's unlikely.

Having said that it is still quite rare to get subway as a new hire. Not impossible but very rare. So he really won the lottery! Its actually something I would love to try but now being 2 mins from division would be hard to lose.

[LMESSIAH]

Ya for sure subways all I ever wanted I'd still rather be there but the locations suck.... For me anyway.

And this is the 4th or 5th class of subway (that I know about) in the last few months so seem to need a few people currently.

[FlyerD901]

The training for Subways is not as hard as what people are making it out to be. As long as u listen ask questions and most importantly do your homework you will pass. I'm not the smartest person out there and passed. If you go in with the mind set that its hard and the failing rate is high, you're already cutting yourself short. The trainers are very good experienced and know everything. The training program for subways is very well thought out and organized. TTC doesn't want you to fail, so meet them half way and do your part, simple.

But as mentioned, the transfers have a higher failing rate than people off the street. People off the street have no choice, where transfers can bail out and still have a job. And clearly it shows, look at the number of people that want in and how long they are waiting, and the amont of people that have been recently hired off the street into subways. That in itself says a lot.

[iforparry]

The training for Subways is not as hard as what people are making it out to be. As long as u listen ask questions and most importantly do your homework you will pass. I'm not the smartest person out there and passed. If you go in with the mind set that its hard, you're already cutting yourself short. The trainers are very good experienced and know everything. The training program for subways is very well thought out and organized. TTC doesn't want you to fail, so meet them half way and do your part, simple.

But as mentioned, the transfers have a higher failing rate than people off the street. People off the street have no choice, where transfers can bail out or still have a job. And clearly it shows, lok at the number of people that want in, and how long they are waiting. That in itself says a lot.

Very well said

[FlyerD901]

I keep hearing the BD is short on operators, hopefully some of you that thought the hiring process was too long, with all the troubles and all gets sent into subways as a treat. lol

Both Subway lines actually.

[nokia_b0y]

While I do see why people want Subway I don't really see the big hype in it. If avoiding customers is your priority than why even bother working for the TTC at all?

If I had to operate a subway train and be secluded in a small box with 0 interaction with anyone for the next 30 years I don't think that is something to be boasting about. I'm simply playing the devils advocate for this discussion because there is no WOW factor towards it.

Driving a bus has become second nature to me, I can probably say I drive the bus better than I drive my car. I wouldn't be surprised if trains are replaced by machines, just a matter of time.

I choose who I want to interact with on the bus, I don't get into arguments with a customer hardly ever and when I do, I was trained properly how to diffuse the situation.

[FlyerD901]

While I do see why people want Subway I don't really see the big hype in it. If avoiding customers is your priority than why even bother working for the TTC at all?

If I had to operate a subway train and be secluded in a small box with 0 interaction with anyone for the next 30 years I don't think that is something to be boasting about. I'm simply playing the devils advocate for this discussion because there is no WOW factor towards it.

Driving a bus has become second nature to me, I can probably say I drive the bus better than I drive my car. I wouldn't be surprised if trains are replaced by machines, just a matter of time.

I can't see myself driving the subways for 30 years. plus when I drive the T1s I have the doors open for all to see. But I totally agree with you, if you don't like people or have a problem with people, this job is so not for you. But at the same time, people just like subways and always wanted to drive a train, like myself, not because I you don't like people. I'm loving it. Everybody reasons is different, but most time I hear people want subways so they don't have to deal with people. But you will have a rude awakening when you have to deal with a PAA, offloading a train or an evacuation. You can't dodge people at TTC. lol

[LMESSIAH]

There's lots of jobs within the ttc that have minimal interaction with people. Subway driver is one of them (sure you have some interaction but not as much) but ttc doesn't post it individually or all their other jobs externally so bus operator constantly gets used as a platform to get somewhere else and I don't see anything wrong with that. It's only a matter of time and ill move on from bus, I'm not interested in being disrespected for 30 years. I might put in a transfer to subway the day probation is done..... We'll see.

Revenue collector is another good example, maybe some people would like that job but I've never seen a single external posting for it. People have no choice to use other jobs to get where they want.

[nokia_b0y]

There's lots of jobs within the ttc that have minimal interaction with people. Subway driver is one of them but ttc doesn't post it individually or all their other jobs externally so bus operator constantly gets used as a platform to get somewhere else and I don't see anything wrong with that. It's only a matter of time and ill move on from bus, I'm not interested in being disrespected for 30 years. I might put in a transfer to subway the day probation is done..... We'll see.

LOL... disrespected for 30 years?

Ok you seriously need to get out of Queensway if you're getting disrespected so much so that you are anxiously waiting to go to subway to avoid any interaction with people. Everyone gets disrespected anywhere they go, I wouldn't do anything different than if I were outside uniform and that is to ignore them. For every idiot you get on the bus you have 100 others who say thank you when they leave the vehicle and are nice to you.

I shrug off every person who complains about the bus being late or not on time. I'm happy to be home every night and spend time with my family, I wake up knowing I got a great job and those who complain in the early hours of the morning are either pissed off for having a crappy job or just because I'm always whistling at 6am in the morning with my coffee.

To each his own, but being soo new and wanting out so quickly just doesn't sit well with me LMESSIAH, you need to break in a few years of driving before you really realize what you want, you can't just have a few people disrespect you and you go spinning off in a frenzy. If anything Subway might make me go coo-coo unless I socialize with someone, always in that box and going through flashes of light in the dark tunnels.

[FlyerD901]

To each their own, What ever floats your boat. I know people who have been in subways for 20 years with no intension of moving out. I know people who ran out to see daylight. Some transfer/rotate every few years to Streetcar, Bus, Subway. Or move up to management. Its what you make of it.

As LEMESSIAH said, most people get in just to move up somewhere else, and being an operator is the foot in, even a janitor.

There's lots of jobs within the ttc that have minimal interaction with people. Subway driver is one of them (sure you have some interaction but not as much) but ttc doesn't post it individually or all their other jobs externally so bus operator constantly gets used as a platform to get somewhere else and I don't see anything wrong with that. It's only a matter of time and ill move on from bus, I'm not interested in being disrespected for 30 years. I might put in a transfer to subway the day probation is done..... We'll see.
Revenue collector is another good example, maybe some people would like that job but I've never seen a single external posting for it. People have no choice to use other jobs to get where they want.

For me Collectors would be a punishment. I would be on the front page of the Toronto Sun.

[ttcwait]

So how do train shifts work anyways Flyer? Just curious.

[LMESSIAH]

LOL... disrespected for 30 years?

Ok you seriously need to get out of Queensway if you're getting disrespected so much so that you are anxiously waiting to go to subway to avoid any interaction with people. Everyone gets disrespected anywhere they go, I wouldn't do anything different than if I were outside uniform and that is to ignore them. For every idiot you get on the bus you have 100 others who say thank you when they leave the vehicle and are nice to you.

I shrug off every person who complains about the bus being late or not on time. I'm happy to be home every night and spend time with my family, I wake up knowing I got a great job and those who complain in the early hours of the morning are either pissed off for having a crappy job or just because I'm always whistling at 6am in the morning with my coffee.

To each his own, but being soo new and wanting out so quickly just doesn't sit well with me LMESSIAH, you need to break in a few years of driving before you really realize what you want, you can't just have a few people disrespect you and you go spinning off in a frenzy. If anything Subway might make me go coo-coo unless I socialize with someone, always in that box and going through flashes of light in the dark tunnels.

Lol I've been driving constantly professionally for over a decade I dont need years for anything. Accepting a bus driver job was the door in but always will be just a stepping stone to something else. Maybe next year maybe in 5 years but my lifes goal isn't to take crap behind the wheel of a bus for 30 years.

And I'm not in a frenzy I'm the calmest most resilient person around but you can't just ignore fights, customers screaming racist remarks to other customers and threats (all of which I've had happen this month alone). And although I'm more than capable of handling such situations, doesn't mean I enjoy it.

If you wana continue whistling and enjoy your rainbow and cartoon birds singing kinda job for 30 years im happy for you but not me. The idea of staring down dark tunnels in my private booth sounds way more appealing to me. (obviously there's more to it than that). My idea for a career not sitting well with you is kind of bizarre though.

[andyman]

In this day and age we should all be thankful for the jobs we have. Hopefully some of the seniors who don't know what its like in the real world speed up their retirement.