161 New York

We'll have to await the vacancy announcement.

 

As of today 12/15/2013 MTA has not yet posted the 2014 Examination Schedule:

http://www.mta.info/nyct/hr/

FYI. The first half of 2014 exam schedule is out (until June 2014).

http://www.mta.info/nyct/hr/appexam.htm

I'm tempted to drop an application for Revenue Equipment Maintainer,  most of my IT experience has been in an analyst and administrator role - not exactly what they're looking for methinks, I am now getting more into the technical/infrastructure "technician" role. Hmmm.. If it wasn't $81 bucks. 

How about no... The usage of the X17 to Manhattan at that time doesn't warrant it, since most can use the X1.  Why do you think the X1 has hourly headways to Manhattan after 17:00 during the week? 

The MTA recently added at 16:05 departure from Woodrow/Huguenot Avenue, with the last stop leaving Staten Island at 16:55. It would be great if ridership is picking up and they need more runs. The one hour headways on the x1 during the weekdays still perplexes me. When working third shift I was dependent on the 21:00 departure from Eltingville Transit Center. A few of my fellow riders connected via the s78 at Hylan/Richmond. LUCKILY for them, the B/O's knew this and if the s78 was at the light he'd wait a few moments. Otherwise we knew the s79,  (86th St, Bay Ridge) to Midtown routine. I think that :30 minute headways would help in that situation and attract ridership too. 

In addition, into my nightmare commute at night to lower Bergen County at night from Staten Island, I would use the 21:00 x1 then get to PABT at 22:05 and wait nearly an hour for the 23:00  161 (which was usually late and often-times standing room only). A 21:30 x1 would have helped out a lot.

I would also love to find out when the train operators test is given if anyone knows please post

We'll have to await the vacancy announcement.

As of today 12/15/2013 MTA has not yet posted the 2014 Examination Schedule:

http://www.mta.info/nyct/hr/

Yes, I think it is going to be a HUGE list.

My math says 12,000 candidates alone passed through James Madison High School this weekend.

Four sessions 8:30, 13:30 on Saturday/Sunday, enrollment/capacity of the school 3,000 (per NYCDOE), 4 x 3,000 = up to 12,000 potential candidates from that school alone.

Good Evening!

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with today's exam! I had to take a five hour "nap" after the whole ordeal.

My experience:

- I took my time using the whole two hours to double check my work; I wish I could have marked up the test booklet just for that added assurance.

- There were two answers that I was unsure about, a tip I used was to use all uppercase on the take-home answer sheet for the questions I was positive on and lower case on the one's I wasn't 100% on.

Thoughts:

- As discussed, we can anticipate a lot of high scores, which is good, but we can anticipate that getting hired will take a bit longer than exam 2613 due to the larger pool of candidates.

- Let's keep in shape, get medical check-ups and keep our licenses clean. I have been practicing checking my mirrors a lot more often when driving and it will take some practice. 

Best of Luck to everyone!

Best of Luck to my fellow 4600's...

If you're still awake - Get some sleep!

Come in with a positive attitude...
 

We will be blessed! 

Okay, so I sent them an email and this is what they sent me:

 

Good afternoon Mr. **********,

 

Thank you for contacting the MTA NYCT Exams Unit.

 

We do apologize for any errors or confusion made on the website, it is being addressed. 

 

Under 2013 Examination Schedule, there are three [3] different exams bolded.  They are:

 

-          MTA Bus, Bus Operator – Exam number 2301

-          MaBSTOA, Bus Operator – Exam number 3101

-          NYCT, Bus Operator – Exam number 4600

 

The exam you applied for is NYCT - Bus Operator, Exam number 4600.  This exam will be administered on December 14, 2013 and will be a multiple choice test.  Your score on this test will be used to determine your place on an eligible list.  The Bus Operator Selection Survey (BOSS) is the second part to this exam which would not occur until sometime next year.  

 

Even though this exam is scheduled for December 14^th, you should check back the website around October 2013 in case, any changes were made with the test date.

 

Thank you

Exams Unit

 

Therefore, on December 14th, a Bus Operator Knowledge Exam will be given and the BOSS exam, which is the second step, will not be given until sometime in 2014.

Many thanks! They cleaned the update up a little, but the BOSS heading remains. Gotta start hitting the books soon

Quick questions and clarification:

There is an update on the MTA Website regarding the 4600 exam below:

BUS OPERATOR SELECTION SURVEY:
The multiple-choice test is scheduled to take place on December 14, 2013. This test date is subject to change. Please check back for an update in October 2013.

Source: http://www.mta.info/nyct/hr/4600.htm (Sept 6, '13)

From my research on past posts; for NYCTA there are two exams before medical/drug "testing"; the multiple choice (knowledge-exam) and the BOSS (psychological). 

Questions: Will a knowledge exam be administered before the "BOSS" exam which appears to be given on December 14, 2013? or is the MTA website incorrectly calling the exam on December 14, 2013 a BOSS exam? Or was I mistaken and there aren't two separate exams?

Thanks.

  Is there a guide out there specifically covering the NYC landmarks that would be mentioned during this exam?

NYC is full of landmarks, looking through the threads, it seems far reaching and anything seems game. I'm going to use bus maps for this portion and may even may visit some of them

There's no education or previous work history required for this position, hence why you did not fill any out.

@161--  I think you're fine.  The only time I've ever filled work history/education etc. were on test apps for certain positions that required specific education and experience, like certain DCAS jobs-  

 

 

Spoke to the lady behind the window at 180, she wouldn't say if the results or list for 2613 were going to be out next month...  fingers crossed, but I filed for 4600 anyway.

Many thanks. Thankfully I didn't blow the dust off my resume Best of luck to all.

Just out of curiosity; 

Was I supposed to fill in other information besides my name, address, DOB and SSN when submitting the application?

I'm kinda surprised that there were no fields to add in work history, education, etc.. Did I do something wrong?

 

Thanks..

I applied!

Time to grab some coffee and read the CDL manual in the next few months.

Finally!

I will submit my application when I receive my next paycheck..

Thankfully, they have the examination date on the announcement and luckily it falls on a Saturday.

Commentary for those who might be interested:

Currenty I am in the IT business, while my company is Fortune 500 and mainly stable and I do enjoy the fast-paced nature of the job, I find the work interesting and have mostly great co-workers I never thought that I would want to become a bus operator.

The MTA (Staten Island) would be a good fit, as I know nearly all the lines and have thick enough skin to maintain a good relationship with the public. I am still going give serious thought about the P/T BO position with NJ Transit in the meanwhile, but I am hesitant due to the drastic pay cut though I think it would be an even better fit because of the longer distance New York routes (from preferred garages) ie 161/19*-series routes (Wayne) or the 130*-routes (Howell) and nearly all the BO's on the 161 have been friendly and professional. Greyhound would be awesome but I have no idea about the route preferences (I would love to do US-Canada runs), but the pay/benefits aren't the greatest..

Hopefully its for NYCTA.

I am going to apply once the filing period opens, unless NJ Transit (Northern) starts hiring F/T.

Came across this on NJT's facebook page, RE Staten Island

I am seriously scratching my head at this one and thinking about it will keep me up all night.

I would like to see the 10 being extended one for one Staten Island stop at Richmond/Forest for starters.

 

Yeah, that sounds like a good route. For the hell of it, I mapped it out (with the slightly modified route by the SI Mall I mentioned earlier).

 

Well, I think he was saying some people might take the bus to the ferry to save money, rather than because of bad service in NJ. If they live in say, Elizabeth and take a bus to Newark for the PATH, it's $1.50 for the bus, and $1.50 for the PATH (if they use a Smartlink card), which adds up to $3, whereas the bus-ferry is only $2.25. And because NJT would lose a passenger (and the revenue) to the MTA, they would try to block it. But like you said, if NJ can't block the dollar vans or Decamp, they wouldn't be able to block the MTA.

 

CMC, that is a good map! I hadn't really thought about the route from Woodbridge Mall to Metropark.

As for Elizabeth service. I don't know if anyone would want to take a bus to the ferry, ferry ride and subway unless cash is low and their destination is downtown or northern Brooklyn. This route would be good for folks living on the North Shore of SI to catch a bus to EWR. In Elizabeth train to NYC is available in two stations, the 115 and any bus to Newark for the 107/108. Fare is about $6 for the bus and $7 for the train . If the PA extends the PATH to Elizabeth via Newark Airport then it will be good.

SI mall and ETC are hubs that select NJT lines will use to transfer people to MTA services from NJ Elizabeth it will be a direct service to that region of SI. While S55/56 will go direct to NJ hubs to reach areas deeper into NJ. MTA has no non st george lines that are near or in the direction towards the Goethals bridge. NO st george line or any MTA line in brooklyn line shall be allowed into NJ. NJT will not approve of it and will block it anyway.

 

NJT is powerless to stop anyone from running buses. The minibuses between NY and Paterson/JSQ/Bergeline are the best examples. The municipalities would have some power to regulate them ala strict enforcement of no parking/standing, blocking traffic laws.

Additionally, their inability to "enroach" on Decamp's "territory" is evident of their prowess in control of state public transportation.

Rail is a different story, as we know Amtrak owns the ROW between Metropark and NY Penn on the NEC/NJCL lines.

I really don't think you're going to get "People with money" taking a bus to reach Amtrak. They're still going to drive over to Metropark if they need Amtrak service.

 

I dunno. The more I look at that map, the more I realize that some of these hubs (Woodbridge, Cheesequake, Metropark) are closer than I thought. The Perth Amboy station is about 1.5 miles south of 440, but Woodbridge is 2 miles north, and Metropark is about 4.5 miles away, but it's all expressway driving. I mean, at first I was ademant about the S55 going to Perth Amboy (because it's a dense area so you could get a lot of walk-up riders), but now I'm not so sure. And I wonder if NJ or SI riders would use the S55 more if it went to Perth Amboy.

 

I don't see why NJT would block a St. George line from going into NJ. I mean, yeah a passenger could save a few dollars by taking the bus to the ferry, but I doubt you're going to see tons of people switching off NJT services like that. (Especially off-peak when the ferry's headways are crappy).

 

As for my earlier post, my point was that you can't just say "Improve the existing lines before you add new ones", because if we followed that logic, we'd have no S61, and the S44 would still be terminating in Port Richmond.

 

CMC, IMO, the s55 or any bus should not go into Perth Amboy downtown or to the rail station, it should stop along Route 35, at the QuickCheck (in Perth Amboy), stop at Main Street (Woodbridge) (5 minute walk to Woodbrige NJCL station) then go to Woodbridge Center (major shopping and office parks) and then end at Metropark (NEC, Amtrak, officeparks). Cheesequake should not be considered.

Secondly, not many folks from NJ are going to take transportation to the Staten Island ferry. Off-peak and weekend service on the NEC and NJCL isn't that bad. Bus service on the 116 which duplicates the NJCL is pretty consistent. Personally, with the availability of express buses, I wont consider the SIRT/SI Ferry unless it is very late at night.

Also, there is no way for a hypothetical North Shore SIR to connect with the NEC/NJCL lines. First there would have to be some massive eminent domain seizures in Elizabeth and the rail bridge going over the AR Kill connects with freight railroads, none to my knowledge connects with the Amtrak-owned lines which NJ Transit use for NEC and NJCL service, with a possible exception that there could a cross over in Kearny then onto Newark (essentially they would have to go east and then back west and east again at Newark Penn. Additionally, unless the MTA runs DMU, Diesel multiple unit rolling stock (the equipment used on River Line) OR they purchase or use hybrid diesel/electric trains that is compatible with the Amtrak/NJT/freight systems then along with the resolution of the logistical issues above then we could connect to the North Shore SIR system.

Well if this "tap 'n' go" program works well in Hudson County, they should expand it to all the routes.

 

In Hudson County, I wish that NJT would consider putting TVM's at Bergenline & 31th Street in Union City.... Maybe the good folks who live there will purchase monthly passes and not hold up the buses with paying cash!

There are outdoor TVM's at the 34st HBLR and elsewhere so it could work!

I think Manville looks a little closer, and also a little more dense. Once you're there, you might as well send it to connect with the RVL at Somerville.

 

Manville is quite small and it doesn't look very well (abandoned storefronts etc).

The bus is about 30 minutes from end to end, if not shorter. I understand Path, but why not extend it to Port Richmond, at least to serve the Area and it could benefit from some direct service to those areas. The only problems would be buses running on local streets

 

I completely agree about extending the 10, in the NJT Thread, I suggested that a variant of the 10 terminate at Richmond Ave/ Forest Ave for connections to buses such as the s59, s44 and s48, all major cross-Island bus routes, no need to go to Port Richmond Bus Terminal.

Thinking about that area, I think that the s53 should start at that point as well (Richmond/Forest Avenue).

I think a 10 Extention would work, but why not extend it to Port Richmond To connect to those other routes. Wait, now that I thought of it. If there is construction at PABT and People need to go to places along Newark or Journal Square, They can take the X10 to the 10. Or an alternative from wall street is the X14 to the 10

 

The 10 goes from 1st & JFK in Bayonne to Journal Square Bergen & JFK in Jersey City, up one very long street.

Two NJT buses along the JFK Blvd go to PABT, the 119 and 125. One bus is rush hour only, the other is infrequent and has been a contentious topic:

- Passengers going to Newark have the options of the 1 and PATH

- Passengers going to New York can take the PATH

Today was a good example of the need to know alternatives when SHTF in the LT/PABT!!!

well routing for my S67 SI bound would go to SIE service road via victory and slosson. S57 actually to newark broad station or airport for links to 62,go28&40. If newark broad (Select trips timed with morristown line) to reach other parts of nj as an express. Or closed door via rte 440 to sec jct for all NJT rail links mostly bergen cty line and pvl. However HBLR can link to rail but express bus may be faster I am undecided on NJ routing for S57. Funny you mention NJT 81 I already made such a suggestion to the NJT board a few months back. HINT: SI through routes hudson to middlesex via SI with 2 SI stops usually via 440 more details later. I dont propose new routes mostly when thinking about NJT.

 

I honestly do not see the demand for anyone from Staten Island going to Newark Broad, much less Morristown. If anything, as I posted in the NJT proposals/ideas, I would use underutilized P&R's for service to EWR and select high-volume transit points to access EWR and NWK Penn.

A Staten Island to SEC going through 440 is a terrible idea in my opinion. Traffic in both directions in Jersey City as well as Routes 1 & 9 during the day-time hours is a battle. Anyone wanting to connect to the Main, Bergen, Passack Valley etc, can take the s89 to HBLR, HOB OR the x1/x10/x17 to PATH at WTC and head on over to HOB. I

A Bayonne/JC (Exchange Pl/ Newport/ Lincoln Harbor) to Middlesex County via Staten Island specifically Woodbridge & Menlo Park might work given all the train troubles lately. A variant of the 63 could do the trick.

Actually, the S57 would likely be the closed-door one.

 

In any case, there's not that much demand between SI & Hudson County where you need two whole routes serving the corridor. I'd just do either-or, and I think it would be best if an NJ route did it, not the S57. The #81 is fairly infrequent, which makes it a good candidate for the job. You could extend a couple of #10 trips to serve that part of Bergen Point (**I think that's the name of that neighborhood**). The problem is that the #81 parallels the HBLR, whereas the #10 goes to a different part of Jersey City, so it doesn't give SI riders as many options. I mean, I would rather not screw with the frequencies on the #10 down in Bergen Point.

 

In my opinion extending the s57 to Journal Square is not a good idea. I honestly cannot see that benefiting many Staten Islanders and a closed door route would exacerbate the traffic on the Boulevard.

Having a few 10's start and end on Staten Island on Richmond Ave/Forest & Morningstar would be ideal.

Thinking about it some more from a previous post, my proposal would not degrade service. The 10 would not have to bypass its southern terminus at 1st & JFK, it could make that stop, make a right turn on 1st, a right turn on Avenue A and access the bridge from there.

As you may recall, my suggestion would be one stop on Staten Island where riders can transfer to many popular cross-Island routes.

Additionally, I think its worth discussing the roles HBLR & existing local buses which serve two completely different ridership demographics:

a) HBLR is, partially a way to connect Hudson County to each other, but particularly Downtown Jersey City as that area is a hub for most private businesses (finance, technology, retail) and as a way to revitalize downtown Jersey City.

B) Most buses in Hudson County begin/end at Journal Square because that area is the municipal (and formerly a major commercial hub before downtown) for residents of Jersey City and the county. The justice complex (Superior Court, Municipal Court) is located on Newark Avenue and Summit Ave respectively, Hudson Community College. Also, given the buses (10) route through residential areas I think it would link more folks with transportation options than the HBLR

I think extending the 10 would be the best idea because again it would benefit more people.

Speaking of South Jersey.

ACY Atlantic City International Airport. This airport needs NJ Transit bus service!

I took a flight out of there in May 2011 and I walked four miles from Black Horse Pike to the terminal (319 PABT to 502), rolling suitcase in hand.