MTAhopefullMatt

@ Race Harley, I certainly hope they're still calling people off the list. I'm waiting to be called myself, hopefully in the next few months. I'm also curious if they're hiring and training at a constant pace (one class per month).

@Pelham, have you had both the initial drug test and the follow up evaluation? Are you awaiting the call to come to school car? So they start calling people about one month before a school car class begins - do the calls usually continue until right before the class begins? Thanks for your info. Matt list #37xx

Doesn't the new contract permit MTA employees to ride the LIRR and Metro North for free, at least for commuting to/from work? Is the issue that the contract hasn't yet taken effect?

@VinnySea, thanks for the detailed response. I appreciate it, I follow your logic. I'm just hoping to get started soon. @Ken, congrats on getting your start date. So it looks like they're booking school car 1-2 months out... General question since people are discussing parking - I get it that there are lots of pay lots in downtown Brooklyn and difficult street parking where the school is in Brooklyn (Midwood?). When people get assigned work in the yards, do most drive or take the train? Is parking difficult at most train yards?

I don't think anyone answered my previous question, maybe because nobody knew the answer. I just wanted to check back, since I'm waiting for the initial letter to come in for a drug test. Does anyone have an estimate as to what number they're up to for calling people for the initial drug test? And how many people might they contact per month? I'm trying to calculate roughly when I might receive that letter - the next month or so, or maybe early next year? Thanks, Matt (37xx)

Very exciting news, 3rd Rail. Did they say why? Simply to replace people who are retiring? Also, does anyone have any idea where they are on the list for the initial phase, writing you to come in for a drug test? Thanks Matt (37xx)

SubwayGuy, thank you for the detailed response. This forum is a great help for those of us waiting to get called and trying to learn the ropes.

Thanks, everyone, for keeping us updated. I'm much further out than the others who've recently posted, at 37xx. I had a few questions. If anyone is able to answer them I'd be very grateful. If they've been answered in the past I apologize for being repetitive. I have read many pages of this thread but I'm trying to determine if anything has changed recently, or is expected to change soon, as opposed to how things have been for many years. The first appointment at 180 Livingston is just to submit your background packet and take a drug test? or is there typically a full physical exam and related tests (vision, hearing) at that point? After you go to 180 Livingston for your initial appointment, what are the further steps required before getting sent to school car? and how long does it typically take after the initial appointment to get into school car? As far as anyone knows, is the scheduling of school car and hiring of train operators remaining at a steady pace? One of the posters had suggested they might start having school car classes every week, and another poster said he thought they would be bringing in more train operators and fewer conductors in future school car classes. Does anyone expect scheduling of school car classes and/or hiring of train operators to change much after Labor Day, through the end of the year?

I hear that. I'm at 37xx and I never thought I'd be called. I still might not, but the odds are now much better than I thought. I just want the chance to prove myself in school car and on the job. Hopefully I can be in school car by the spring.

I'm very curious to hear how hiring is proceeding and how fast they're moving through the list. Do they slow down school car during the summer months?

Congratulations. Hopefully they keep adding lots of school car classes and the list keeps moving.

Does anyone have the link for the "last hired" for this exam? I tried searching on google and on the DCAS website without success. I'm trying to track how hiring is proceeding without being a pain to those on the board (or people at transit, if I can just as easily get the same info online). Thanks.

I hear that. That's where I am as well. Hoping to get word in the next few months that I can start the process of being hired at transit. Roughly how many people are in a school car class?

Great questions, Ken. I'm curious about the same things. I read somewhere recently that the MTA has 3x bus operators compared to train operators, roughly 4000 train operators compared to 12000 bus drivers. I've also sat for the bus operator exam, and in the forums they discuss a 25-35% failure rate in the 10-day driving course (lots of variation in each class). I've never heard anything about what percentage of people fail school car, though.

Does anyone have an estimate of what list number they've reached for the initial drug test?

Thanks for the info. Grey. I've done this for other background investigations in the past. Just take your time and do your best. If you've been around for a while it's impossible to answer everything perfectly. The SS employment history printout is helpful so that you don't forget/omit any employment that's on the books (you paid taxes). Some of those employers will have moved or gone out of business by now. And if you were fired from a job, tell them that. Most of us have been fired. It happens.

Good to see they're moving (relatively) fast. I wonder if there's a push to hire by year end? Or a need to hire more people due to system expansion? Anyway, I will take RTOman's advice. I'm sure there are people from transit reading these forums. Hopefully they understand that we're desperate for info about job opportunities and to learn about the job itself. Everyone says things they might regret.

Good luck. Hopefully it moves quickly. Can you tell us your list range (within 100 or so)? I'm trying to figure out where they are in terms of initial processing (first drug tests).

Allday, 3 months waiting since your initial drug test?

Congrats, big dan. I'm curious to hear what's the last number appointed for the June 30th class. Just trying to estimate when I might be called for the initial drug test, and how many months beyond that for a school car slot. I need to be patient but it's not easy.

And good luck to you. This is exciting. I'm very curious to see how the list progresses in the second half of this year.

I know this from my experience working almost entirely in private sector businesses without a union, and seeing the benefits our family has enjoyed from the strong union that represents my wife as a public schoolteacher. Things can always be improved, but they can be much worse (and are much worse for most workers).

If I ever get this job I'm going to be happy to pay the union dues. Train operators would be treated much worse by management and would have less pay and no pension if there weren't a strong union backing them up.

Already done. Thanks for the reminder, though. People forget and mail forwarding only works for a few (6?) months.

Thanks for the quick response, StandClear.