Express Bus Operator

**An important update for candidates that are waiting to be called. Starting this November 2021, MTA will only hire new applicants if they are vaccinated. 

**An important update for candidates that are waiting to be called. Starting this November 2021, MTA will only hire new applicants if they are vaccinated. 

**An important update for candidates that are waiting to be called. Starting this November 2021, MTA will only hire new applicants if they are vaccinated. 

2 hours ago, lornaevo said:

No. I had a guy in my class recently at MTA Bus, after he cleared probation TA called him and he transferred. Didn’t have to re do probation. Just had to do line training at the new depot. 

2 hours ago, lornaevo said:

No. I had a guy in my class recently at MTA Bus, after he cleared probation TA called him and he transferred. Didn’t have to re do probation. Just had to do line training at the new depot. 

4 hours ago, misslo said:

 I was abot to ask this question too. Im not yet employed by the MTA. The lady said they not calling from this list anymore and the 0100 (OA) which looks like im going to be hired for -they cant find my application lol lol. I really want to go TA but i dont want to wait but im currently working for USPS so i guess i could wait.

15 hours ago, hh1a said:

How about if you are hired for OA or MTA Bus and complete your 1 year probation, then you get called from NYCTA and go there,

would you then be considered as a "new hire" and start from scratch again?

Thanks

To Transfer Agency title, from OA to TA will be no problem. You just go through the Livingston process all over, and is place onto the next training hiring class. You will be cleared from doing any Zerega qualification test. If you have already completed Probation, you'll be all set, however, if you're still on probation, you will just continue from where you left off before transferring agency. The only thing you will lose is your current seniority. Your new hire date will be the date you have been appointed for the new class you transferred too. 

35 minutes ago, Lawrence St said:

I just realized I forgot to put in a job I had back when I was 16 in my application. Is there anyway I can add it on? I don't want to get terminated during the background check if they find out I didn't include this job.

That’s fine. When you go through Pre-employment process, you will list all the job you had from 10 years back.

3 minutes ago, Bleekk said:

Makes sense. But can OA dispatcher work in a TA depot.

No. They will have to work out of a OA division “Bronx or Manhattan”. They can work at the command  console center in Brooklyn. 

8 hours ago, Bleekk said:

This list expires 2024, so assuming it takes one year for results to come out and one year to certify list, the next exam will be late 2022

The next SLD exam might be for OA since 2016 was the last one.

5 minutes ago, isaelperez81 said:

1st day of dispatcher class

19 TOTAL

Not sure how many TA/OA/MTA BUS

Last known list number for TA test in class is no 66.

4 weeks of scheduled classroom time.  So far we've been scheduled for Sun-Thurs with various time to report.

Good luck to this class and all future dispatchers.

Congrats!  Quick question, I notice you mention that its 4 weeks of classroom time. Is that at Zerega?

11 minutes ago, kc204 said:

Sorry for the double post, I was wondering if anyone can help me with MTA's pension options, retirement age and hours that are worked? The information I find online is scarce and there's so much information to read through here. 

Retirement is 25/55. 

Pension is through NYCER

401k/457 IRA through Prudential.

Medical Benefit: Aetna

Dental/Vision : Through union.

Hours varies by the run and route. You can work between 80 -120+ hours bi-weekly. Overtime also available depending the depot. 

Overtime work:

• Doubles
• Shifting,
• Extra's Piece "Finishing up another run/route that need coverage or Yard work",
• Shuttle's,
• RDO's
• COVID cleaning work

On 9/17/2021 at 10:14 AM, kd1234 said:

Okay, Thank you for the response! Also do you know where do i go to see my results from the exam? 

MaBstoa doesn’t have a scoring system. You were giving a random list number, and took a Bus Operator Selective Survey questionnaire. If you passed the questionnaire, your random list number will be added onto the eligibility pool for employment hiring.

4 hours ago, BoRi1976 said:

Good morning. Yes you are correct. Yesterday was day 4 and I drove on the highway to white plains to do straight line backing, parallel parking and pillars and everything else we learned on days 1-3. Today I had a sit down with the supt and they asked me what do I think of my performance so far and I simply said that I need to get out of my old habits (hand over hand) and work on my 4' spacing on the right-side. Then I told them I also need to work on example.... making a left turn, approach the reference point (setup the turn) when its clear to turn, look right and then start the turn. As I'm turning, take a quick glance at the front, then glance at my left mirror to check my left pivot has cleared then look at my right mirror and follow through and straighten my wheel. The supt said it was nice to know that I'm paying attention and reading the book (Bus Bible) and said I have the alsaps and pretrip nailed down but to come back on day 5 and work on what I told them. They said I know you can drive the bus, but we need you to do it the way transit wants you to do it. Moral of the story... Listen and watch what everyone is doing wrong behind the wheel and take notes. I try to help others in my class as much as I can, example alsaps and pretrip etc. Explaing the different turns and so on. Now I'll just have to execute these wrong doings of mine to keep this drill sgt from yelling as much🤣

Lol @drill Sgt 

56 minutes ago, Santana04 said:

This training is to get you ready for what you going to face when you are on you own in the bus no body is perfect they look for progress that what you need and listen to what they said because they know if you dont listen now you wont do the things their way once you by your self .

There are different list for various reason they are short on drivers and some of the ppl on the list like my self dont want to switch over for different reason 

A lot of operators retired and it's still going. My depot alone has 12 more leaving before the year ends. Its a mixture of retirement, promotions into SLD and a good percentage are out on comp for assaults or injury on duty. 

20 minutes ago, Moody said:

I got yelled that for doing the right thing during training. Especially because I only had a cdl permit. Does that make sense ? Hell yeah it does.

Every morning I got to training early. So I can have my coffee and relax a bit. But as soon as he saw me, he made me work. 

A Example of a morning for me during training:

Let's go you're going to be doing this on your own soon. Set up your mirrors. Pretrip the bus I'm going check them (And they will check your mirror set up) 

And then he would make me practice for cdl air brake and pretrip license. And I'd have to do it over and over until I got it right. 

But this is what made me do. They mold you. And you're fresh. 

You see the, 7 day training is to see if you should be privileged to go to the next step. Can you handle a bus with 40 people on it ? Can the MTA trust you with their bus ? Why should they ? Prove it. 

The superintendents don't fail anyone. You fail yourself. I've seen people with 15 years yellow bus experience fail. It's going to happen. 

You heard it before and I'll go back to day 3 when they say "progress not perfection"

Those superintendents work hard for you. Follow exactly what they say. 

And by day 2 or 3 you should automatically know how to set up your mirrors. 

Every time you enter a different bus the mirrors will never ever ever ever be the same set up. Because some people are taller or shorter than others. Sometimes I get excited to see other people's mirror set up just to see if their set up is like mine. 

Not a single bus driver including my class mates have the same set up as mine. Not because they're wrong. It's because of how I sit in the seat and my height. 

Your superintendents will help you how to customize the mirrors so that it's zerega approved and so that you're comfortable with it. 

 

 

BOOM! You nailed it!    ((Progress not Perfection)) But exactly. You need to earn that position before they can trust you with that killer machine. 

11 minutes ago, BoRi1976 said:

Thats 100 percent correct. The fact is we as students as we're phrased should be getting 100percent from the supt. Not 50 percent, especially when you only have 5 days to learn. Thank god for the book and videos out there on YT. Alsaps I'm familiar with, pretrip as well. Im actually helping all my classmates trying to get them to learn it. We all meet up at 5am and get there so they can practice it. As far as people failing, I already had one guy trying to quit cause of all the yelling but I told him hang tight and fix whatever the supt is writing down on your progress sheet. 

Teamwork is a plus! 

3 hours ago, BoRi1976 said:

I thought this training was supposed to be so profesional and its the complete opposite. Sh*t is ratchet as hell. Screaming n hollering and supt talking on the phone and stopping in between our training to run personal errands. I must have some bad luck. Went as far as making a student drive on a highway w/o the convex being fixed properly. I understand why the supt pointed the convex mirror all the way up, so the student would look for their pivot on the flat mirror like you're suppose to but to make the student take the highway blindly like that is uncool. I don't think I'm making it through cause I've just had about enough the unprofessionalism. Thats just ludacris.

In that case, your center mirror should be able to see the 2/3 right side windows if properly setup. The old RTS buses didn’t have convex mirrors and you had to use your judgement on the center mirror.

We know the yelling is like whoa but trust me, we all went through it. Some Supt don’t yell, but they’re the type to fail you quicker. The yelling is a good thing because you will encounter passengers yelling, shouting, kids fighting on the bus, Adults arguing or having phone call conversation very loudly which may cause a distraction. But after training, you will remember how much that yelling and shouting by the Supt helped out. Your job is to learn key points and execute on qualification day. Training is the most intense part of the job, after this stage the job is breezy. Easy breezy money.

**The NYPD goes through the same scenario through their training.  

5 hours ago, kd1234 said:

Hello , i am new to this forum. I was contacted back for bus operator exam 0100 my list number is 3XX. I recently got my cdl class b permit and submitted that to them. Is there anything else i should do besides wait till they reach back out to me? What are the next steps? Thanks! Also where can i go to see my test score im curious. 

The next step is to wait for them to respond back with further instructions.

While you’re waiting, keep your driver license clean. OA doesn’t have a score system in place. Therefore, if you passed the Bus Selected Survey, your random list will be place on a call candidate list for future employment as positions vacant. The only exam that use a scoring method is TA and thats because its a civil service title. 

I want to give some pointers for both new students starting 7-day training and probationary operators.

School is back in session starting tomorrow (September 13, 2021). Respect all school zone by reducing your speed to 15 mph. Cover your brakes when approaching intersections, and passing by another larger vehicle where your view is obstructed ((Honk your horn 2x)), Watch for school buses making stops with the STOP sign and flashing red lights. Scan your mirrors and forward plan.

6 minutes ago, train1290 said:

Ok, so that means I won't have to pick up children from schools, Or something else? Im Kinda confused.

Focus on learning the routes while line training. After you will get to learn more other  things within the dept of buses such as picking and hours. The main thing you should be focusing right now is learning the routes, everything else will come in play later.

1 hour ago, train1290 said:

I have to go to Zerega tomorrow from 3P.M. to 11P.M., is it hard to find parking in the afternoon around the area during that time?

Umm are you sure that's the correct time??

5 hours ago, RailBus63 said:

Just curious - do you guys have to fill out any inspection forms when you do a pull-out or a relief? 

At our agency, we fill out a 'vehicle inspection report' form to note any discrepancies, which is where I'd note any old scuffs or dents. The form has space for four operators and is left on the bus so you can see what previous operators wrote up.  We fill it out after we do a walk-around and we're not supposed to move the bus without filling it our (supervisors will occasionally hop on at a random stop to spot-check us). Obviously, it is always in an operator's best interest to pay close attention and write up anything you see - at our place, failure to note damage or an operating issue that causes a problem for the next B/O can get you written up. 

Yes. 

2 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

The C40 I'm on just shut off by itself without the op doing anything, op restarted the bus, and went on it's way like nothing happened. 

 

 

So what causes a bus to shut off by itself? 

Most of the buses besides the Orion Hybrids has an auto shut off if the bus idles for 15 minutes.

5 minutes ago, train1290 said:

Hi guys, so I qualified today, tomorrow I'm going to Jamaica Depot. Question, when does Line training begin? When do I get a schedule?

No line training yet. You still have to wait for the rest of the class to qualify at least Day 10. Plus you have to pick a depot first. Since you qualified today, Tomorrow you and others who qualified will just learn other type of buses and relax.. Whoever didn’t qualify today will have to go to day 8 and 9 for a second chance to qualify.

3 minutes ago, train1290 said:

Hi guys, so I qualified today, tomorrow I'm going to Jamaica Depot. Question, when does Line training begin? When do I get a schedule?

Congratulations and welcome on board! 

34 minutes ago, +Young+ said:

If this is the case, then why does the agency require you folks to go for yearly medicals, when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) require those folks who have a medical certificate to go every 22 to 23 months, providing there are no problems? This part I never understood, even to this date...

Back in 2017, somebody posted the name of a medical doctor who conducts sleep apnea without needing a referral or anything to that nature, which can be viewed here. Again, this was posted four [4] years ago, things might have changed since, especially with COVID.

With the agency, you still have to do the 19A medical re-certificate every 22-23 months as required, but for safety sensitive positions like Bus operators and etc, If you're diagnose with a medical condition for example "Diabetic, Hypertension, Sleep Apnea"  the Agency will place you on a 3 - 6 months, or yearly Revisit Medical Evaluation. The revisit will not be consider as the medical certificate. For an example, If you are place on medical revisit for being diabetic, When you return back to MAC for revisit, they will check your Blood sugar level, and your PCP  have to submit a record of your A1C level is at least 8 or below before the revisit day. If the A1C shows 8.5 "MAC Discretion to clear you with an .5" or above, MAC will remove you out of passengers service/ or any positions that is safety sensitive and place you on a temporary restricted duty. If medically what you have been diagnose changes, You will be removed from the medical revisit list.

The name of the medical doctor from that thread is good. I got another one  "Sunset Sleep Diagnostic " located in Brooklyn takes good care of some of the Transit workers today. 

4 minutes ago, +Young+ said:

It's called "sleep apnea" and, from what I've learned, there are two ways to see if you have this or not:

First, calculate your Body Mass Index. If it's over 35, that's a red flag. If you're on the curious side, just play around with the calculator by playing around with your weight.

Second, measure the size of your neck. If it's over 17 inches, that's also a red flag in itself.

Just note that even for those who have a CDL (Commercial Drivers License) who have to go for the bi-yearly physical, regardless if you work for Transit or not, they also check for sleep apnea as well by doing both of these things, depending on where you get your physical done. Therefore, it's important to take care of yourself, including watching your weight.

(And my apologies for not being online and posting more often, there is a thing that we all know, which is called "life"...)

I want to add onto @+Young+, It's also up to the MAC Physician discretion. You may not have a size 17+ inch neck size, but suffer sleep disorder, or report that you snore when you sleep. You may also experiencing other medical diagnose, and MAC Physician may recommend to see a sleep study. At the end of the day, MTA is corresponding with national federal motor carrier safety administration and covering themself for  "What if" a serious situation occurs  while you're operating the bus for insurance purposes.

The study can be done at a Sleep center, and depending if you have medical insurance and what carrier it is, you may need a referral by a PCP or see if a location is accepting walk-ins. 

1 minute ago, BoRi1976 said:

Oh ok. Thx. I thought it was every month. Doesnt seem so bad but with my luck, I'll fail. Thanks for the explanation 

You’re not failing anything. If you need to be on Cpap, All you have to do is use the machine minimum of 4 hours a day and at least 70-90% usuage. After MAC clears you like @ActionMike explained, you will have to revisit mac for the next 90 days showing data that you’re using it in order to continue passenger service. A lot of Bus, Trains and Conductors are on it right now as we speak.