BusDriverWannabe

After you qualify Yes you should get to pick a depot from a short list but not for the 10-day training.

No. Not for the 10-day training. I have been told that they do try to assign you a training depot that may work best for you based on where you live but its not always possible especially lately since the class size has increased. BTW... when did you get assigned to the April 3rd class?

Thank You... You saved me some typing... This is how it was explained to me exactly about Queens. 2-months ago I declined my transfer to Queens because I could not get my head wrapped around the idea it was a lifetime, permanent one-way ticket. These were my 2 main reasons reasons for deciding against accepting the transfer: 1. Permanent: What if I want to move. What if the management (dispatchers, supers, generals) don't like me and I have no place to go I am stuck and they can make my life terrible with violations, no overtime, days off, etc... No Thank You! 2. Seniority: Nobody can leave so your seniority when you get there is gonna be your seniority until people retire. Not to mention, you loose any and all seniority when you transfer. So any seniority you earned while at a TWU shop is gone and you start all over again. BTW... seniority is everything! Schedule picks (hours), vacation dates, overtime, etc... Get stuck with 40-hour weeks, Tues-Wed RDO, vacations in Feb and Mar.... NO THANK YOU! I live in Flushing and work at West Farms so its just a simple ride on the Q44, 35-min door-to-door plus if I really want to work in Queens I can simply pick into Fresh Pond or Grand Ave depots. They are technically Brooklyn depots but are physically located in Queens.

Unlikely anytime too soon. There are several unions involved here with different viewpoints and decades long agendas. One of the big differences is the pension system. Only TA is civil appointment so entitled to participate in NYCERS (NY State Pension), OA and MTA Bus have different private pension system. TA is appointed/non-provisional (permanent) whereas OA and MTA Bus is provisional (not permanent). There is however no difference in pay. All bus operators get paid the same. One thing I will say, although things are messy and confusing, it has been getting a little better in recent years. It was a lot more messy a decade or so ago. MTA was actually composed of several separate bus companies in the past. At least now they are somewhat consolidated. It was only a year ago that depots could not even borrow buses from each other, today it happens all the time. Also worth noting that the new contract being implemented in April is actually a unified contract with both TWU and ATU so progress is happening but very slowly. I should however mention that not everybody is a fan of this unification. Some of the old-timers and hard core union members don't like these consolidations but we need to be respectful of there positions in this matter as they are the pioneers.

When I said Day 1, I wasn't referring to the 10-day training, it was in the context of my reply to Cory1018's question about the overrall process. But Yes Monday is commonly referred to as day 0 and Tuesday is the actual Day 1 of the 10-day training. Thank you for pointing that out. As far as the transfer issue, Yes operators hired from exam 4600 are TA and therefor can work at any depot that the TA chooses to put us into but we cannot pick into Staten Island or Queens ourselves. Staten Island and Queens depots do not have General Picks, that's an OA thing. We can request a transfer to a Staten Island or Queens depot but that is a one-way ticket for life (as a bus operator anyway). The pick you are referring to that occurs on GI day is not a general pick but rather simply a pick of available places they need operators at that time. When general pick day comes around in December that depot you picked on GI day may or may not be an available option. Also it may not be evident to you on the surface that they have a serious need for operators because many of the recent classes where just simply placed into SI but many do not wish to stay there because they live too far away and paying $250 a month for the bridge toll is not sustainable. I have heard of entire classes of new operators forced to go to SI in recent months. I know for a fact the entire class before mine in August was sent there without a choice. Of course things change rapidly in the MTA so its certainly possible that "serious need" doesn't apply today but I highly doubt it based on what I know.

On day 1, Orientation Day, fill out a transfer request to Staten Island. This way they know that you want to go there right away, there will be a very good chance you will get the transfer right after you qualify. They usually are in serious need for Staten Island operators. Don't ask me why a transfer, they will explain (sort of) to you at Zerega. This job/exam (4600) is for Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn. To work in Queens or Staten Island requires a division transfer. I never got an good explanation, something about the unions I think. Good Luck!

No Trains, only buses. Use Google Maps, it will tell you exactly how to get there from anywhere. Staten Island is closer for the employment process in Brooklyn. Zerega is just the first and last day of the training you wont be in Zerega much. I have only been there 3-times... 1st Day (Orientation Day) PAPERWORK PAPERWORK PAPERWORK GI Day (General Information Day) Last day assuming you qualified (passed the training) Graduation Day (About 2-months from 1st Day) You finally get your badge and a will be allowed to drive the bus alone. Actually I was there a couple of other times during the 10-day training for simulators but went there with my classmates in the training bus. I mention this because you said you will probably stay in the Bronx. You wont have any say what depot you will go to for the 7-day training. Could be any of the 5-boros so I would keep the SI option open too because a lot of people get sent to Brooklyn and Queens for the training. Not sure how often people are sent to SI. If you qualify, you may get to pick a depot of your choice but even then not a lot of choices either and whatever that depot turns out to be will be your depot for the rest of the year. General picks don't occur until the end of the year.

Don't apologize for asking questions, that is one of the purposes of this forum.... Your question about how long this process takes is nearly impossible to get a consistent answer to. The standard answer is 3-90 days from pre-employment day. That is what they tell you when you are done giving them your urine specimen (drug test). They usually take 1-3 days to get the results then they will call you back for the Medical. They typically will not call you back to do the Medical until they are confident they have a class to put you into, that way they can appoint you immediately after you pass medical exam. Now here is the tricky part.... Your drug test is only good for 30-days, meaning your class start date cannot be more than 30 calendar days from the date you did your drug test. Because of that rule, things tend to happen really fast or really slow. If everything goes well with your drug test and they are processing people smoothly BANG you will be asked to return to the medical within a week which means they have 3-weeks to get you into a class. However, if they take 2-weeks to come in for a medical exam then they only have 2-weeks left to get you into a class. This happened to me. It took them 2 and 1/2 weeks last year to call me back for medical exam. When I passed my medical they sent me to get sworn in and then the clerk realized that the class they were about to put me in started 1-day after my drug expired so they put on the breaks on my appointment and suddenly I was back in the lab drinking water and waiting to pee. Because I had just peed for the sugar test for the medical exam just 20-min prior, it took me nearly 3-hours to pee again. So back home I went again to wait for them to get the results and call me back in to be sworn in and appointed. Took about another week. So for me it was about a month. Fortunately the medical exam is good for 90-days so its really about the drug test. A friend of mine was called in for pre-employment on a Thursday, medical on the following Wednesday, was appointed that same day and was shoved into the training class starting the very following Monday so for him it was 11-days. I have read similar stories on this forum as my friend and I and have also read stories of the full 90-days. There just is no one answer to your question. What I will say to you is perhaps you may want to plan on staying here (NYC) about 2-3 weeks for the hiring process and another 2-3 weeks for training especially if you don't already have a CDL Class B license because taking the state road test with the DMV adds a few more days to this process. Also keep very good records and printed receipts for all your travel expenses and even some of your lodging and food cost as all of that can be deducted from your taxes because its related to job hunting and believe me you will make a decent buck with the MTA so the deductions will help you get you a nice tax refund next year.

No. There are no dates on Social Security records anyway, just the years. Employers do not report employment dates. The information the social security administration has is only what is contained in the W2 you get once a year, which does not have monthly breakdown. Most of us only use the social security printout to help us remember who we worked for during our lives. Especially useful for us who have 30+ years of work history.

Have a friend about to go this week for medical. His number is 28xx. Has anybody gone to medical in the last few days that can tell us what training date they are still trying to fill? April 3rd or April 17th?

Well if you moved that far away you are in a pickle... The process takes time. First you will have to come in to do an initial pre-employment (paperwork,drug test, license review, etc), then you have to return to do your medical. Assuming you are medically approved then you have to go through the training and hopefully qualify. You don't really have this job until you qualify (pass the training). So for you to move back to NYC or wherever then go through this process is a risky idea because if you don't get the job officially then you are right back where you started with expense of NYC and no job. Perhaps you have a relative or a friend you can stay with for a about 2-3 weeks while you are doing the training to see if you actually get the job. So no I wouldn't remove yourself from the list now. But that is something only you can decide based on where you are now, finances and other factors.

There are no residency requirements for this job. You do however need to update your address with NYC/MTA Employment Office. I believe you need to contact DCAS at 212-669-1357 or call MTA HR at 347-643-8229/30/31. If I were you I would do it immediately as they will probably send pre-employment letters to 3200 to 3999 very soon.

Casey Stengel or Queens Village (both in Queens)

No. I took private CDL classes using a school bus in May and June of this year then passed my road test on July 5th then started MTA training 8/22. That's it, never had a commercial driving job.

I totally agree... Cruickshank is absolutely awesome! Tough but with a genuine interest in getting you qualified. I only had for 2-days but they were two extremely effective days. Whomever gets assigned to her should do the happy dance