news MaBSTOA letter

[verydry]

Just an update.....I received a letter today stating that I passed the Boss Test(yahoooooo!!).I took the boss test April 16 and my list number is 61xx. I have my fingers crossed to get called for pre-employment before christmas. I'll keep you posted.

 

wow, i took the boss on 2/14, only 2 months earlier than you. and my list # was 10xx. 5000 #s in 2 months, that's alot.

[1daysoon]

wow, i took the boss on 2/14, only 2 months earlier than you. and my list # was 10xx. 5000 #s in 2 months, that's alot.

 

Alot of people actually failed the boss, and some people cant get pass the pre-employment, I'm not suprised.I just hope they hurry up and hire me already.

[Bee Flexible #823]

You and me both. Last I heard, there was supposed to be MaBSTOA B/O class in July and it was cancelled for unknown reasons.

Now I have to wait for them to contact me again to go back to 180 Livingston for a drug test(3rd time) and a medical (2nd time). When that will be? I hope soon because I'm in need of work and this is what I really want to do. I've placed other jobs off because I thought I was going to get called for a July class. They told me at the BOSS Exam to get your CDL Permit and whatnot and then we will train you to get the license. I have up to 1-10-09 to get the license. Otherwise it will expire. And I don't really want to go to a school and pay all that money when the MTA will offer it for 0. But who knows when they will contact me again. It could be months for all that I know.:confused:

On a side note, any word on the MTA Bus BOSS Exam? I took that back in April and haven't heard the results from that either. Also, they will go by list number to contact you and mine is 5921. So I have a while to wait.

MaBSTOA my list number is 1610.

[verydry]

You and me both. Last I heard, there was supposed to be MaBSTOA B/O class in July and it was cancelled for unknown reasons.

Now I have to wait for them to contact me again to go back to 180 Livingston for a drug test(3rd time) and a medical (2nd time). When that will be? I hope soon because I'm in need of work and this is what I really want to do. I've placed other jobs off because I thought I was going to get called for a July class. They told me at the BOSS Exam to get your CDL Permit and whatnot and then we will train you to get the license. I have up to 1-10-09 to get the license. Otherwise it will expire. And I don't really want to go to a school and pay all that money when the MTA will offer it for 0. But who knows when they will contact me again. It could be months for all that I know.:confused:

On a side note, any word on the MTA Bus BOSS Exam? I took that back in April and haven't heard the results from that either. Also, they will go by list number to contact you and mine is 5921. So I have a while to wait.

MaBSTOA my list number is 1610.

 

do yourself a BIG favor, go out and get your CDL with air break + p NOW! i know you have to pay, but worth it. the reason i am telling you to get it now is base on my own exp.

yes, MTA will train you to get it, but you have to understand one thing. driving a long vech is totally different than car. especially they will train you the MTA way, which is a HARD way for people that don't have exp with long vech. during the training, about 6 hours is all you have to master the RTS bus. trust me, it's not enough. i needed day 10 to qualify. only 10% will pass on day 10. so don't put yourself into this situation. also, you need to take the dmv road test after you qualify, which is about the 3rd week into your line training. guess what, you only have 2 chances to pass it. if you qualify on day 10 like me, MTA will only give you 1 chance.

ok, here is the scary part. in my class, there were 3 people failed the 2nd dmv road test. they got fired on that day. that's 3 week into their line training. that sux really bad.

so, if you don't want to go through all these troubles, go get it now. by the way, if you still don't want to spend the money and think you can handle it. good luck to you. because not many people make it through the 1st 10 days of training.

[Bee Flexible #823]

Thanks for the advice. It just leaves me stuck between a rock and a hard place at the moment.

If I pay to get the license then the MTA contacts me, I'd feel like I wasted over $1,000 to get it when I could've gotten it for 0. And they did inform me of that the day I took the BOSS Exam. At the same time, what if I waited and the MTA never contacts me before my CDL license expires? Then I'm going through all of the steps just to get the license all over again. That's something that I do not want to do.

Also, I've been informed that getting the School Bus Endorsement is a should and must have. Therefore, you can be trained to drive on almost any vehicle.

What I am going to do is go for the School Bus Endorsement. If and when I get that, I'll go to a company to get my on road experience so that by the time the MTA contacts me, I'll have more experience in handling a bus then I do now. Also, many drivers that I know have informed me that they started off driving school buses before working for the MTA. It's something to consider.

[BusOperator3319]

Thanks for the advice. It just leaves me stuck between a rock and a hard place at the moment.

If I pay to get the license then the MTA contacts me, I'd feel like I wasted over $1,000 to get it when I could've gotten it for 0. And they did inform me of that the day I took the BOSS Exam. At the same time, what if I waited and the MTA never contacts me before my CDL license expires? Then I'm going through all of the steps just to get the license all over again. That's something that I do not want to do.

Also, I've been informed that getting the School Bus Endorsement is a should and must have. Therefore, you can be trained to drive on almost any vehicle.

What I am going to do is go for the School Bus Endorsement. If and when I get that, I'll go to a company to get my on road experience so that by the time the MTA contacts me, I'll have more experience in handling a bus then I do now. Also, many drivers that I know have informed me that they started off driving school buses before working for the MTA. It's something to consider.

Bee Flex you should take verydry's advice mane there is a big diffrence Between a School Bus and a City Bus I passed the test for the School Bus Endorsement but I might not go ahead with that because I already have a CDL B with P&A and the thing that got me was I have to take a road test on a school bus in order for them to add the S endorsement which is BULL because a city bus weighs more so I should have automatically gotten the S endorsement

[Bee Flexible #823]

do yourself a BIG favor, go out and get your CDL with air break + p NOW! i know you have to pay, but worth it. the reason i am telling you to get it now is base on my own exp.

yes, MTA will train you to get it, but you have to understand one thing. driving a long vech is totally different than car. especially they will train you the MTA way, which is a HARD way for people that don't have exp with long vech. during the training, about 6 hours is all you have to master the RTS bus. trust me, it's not enough. i needed day 10 to qualify. only 10% will pass on day 10. so don't put yourself into this situation. also, you need to take the dmv road test after you qualify, which is about the 3rd week into your line training. guess what, you only have 2 chances to pass it. if you qualify on day 10 like me, MTA will only give you 1 chance.

ok, here is the scary part. in my class, there were 3 people failed the 2nd dmv road test. they got fired on that day. that's 3 week into their line training. that sux really bad.

so, if you don't want to go through all these troubles, go get it now. by the way, if you still don't want to spend the money and think you can handle it. good luck to you. because not many people make it through the 1st 10 days of training.

 

Do you suggest any driving schools for me to go to? I tried Ferrari in LIC and CDT in Suffolk County and they told me it would be wise to get the School Bus Endorsement as well. However, I don't want to drive a school bus. I want to drive a transit bus.

I have the Learners Permit currently with the Passenger and Air Brake Endorsements. I said that I'd get the SB Endorsement just as an add on and because many people that I know started off driving school buses before heading to Transit. I just need a place to learn how to operate a Transit Bus and at a reasonable price.:confused:

[BusOperator3319]

Do you suggest any driving schools for me to go to? I tried Ferrari in LIC and CDT in Suffolk County and they told me it would be wise to get the School Bus Endorsement as well. However, I don't want to drive a school bus. I want to drive a transit bus.

I have the Learners Permit currently with the Passenger and Air Brake Endorsements. I said that I'd get the SB Endorsement just as an add on and because many people that I know started off driving school buses before heading to Transit. I just need a place to learn how to operate a Transit Bus and at a reasonable price.:confused:

You can always try coach USA or any other private carrier that's how I got my license I don't know if I have to pay them back they never called me telling me anything I just told them I couldn't complete the training which I couldn't because rockland county was a little bit too much and that fare system that they have was the pits

[verydry]

Thanks for the advice. It just leaves me stuck between a rock and a hard place at the moment.

If I pay to get the license then the MTA contacts me, I'd feel like I wasted over $1,000 to get it when I could've gotten it for 0. And they did inform me of that the day I took the BOSS Exam. At the same time, what if I waited and the MTA never contacts me before my CDL license expires? Then I'm going through all of the steps just to get the license all over again. That's something that I do not want to do.

Also, I've been informed that getting the School Bus Endorsement is a should and must have. Therefore, you can be trained to drive on almost any vehicle.

What I am going to do is go for the School Bus Endorsement. If and when I get that, I'll go to a company to get my on road experience so that by the time the MTA contacts me, I'll have more experience in handling a bus then I do now. Also, many drivers that I know have informed me that they started off driving school buses before working for the MTA. It's something to consider.

 

it's not about wasted money or not. it's about if you want to take the risk. let's say you get call in 2 months, and you already have the CDL. it improves the chance for you to GET the job. because you have the exp and don't have to worry about the dmv road test. once you qualify for MTA, you get the job right there. CDL = 99% you will get the job. now, if you don't want to spend the money, there are risks for that. 1st, you may not qualify for MTA since you don't have exp to handle the bus. in fact, there are more things for you to learn other than driving, observation is the key thing. you need to learn to watch million things going on at once while you driving. that's the hard part. 2nd, even you qualify for MTA, you may fail the dmv road test.

once you get your CDL, go to craigslist and check under jobs, transport. there are jobs offers for CDL driver. you can do that while waiting for MTA. it's call a win win situration

[Locomotion69]

Do you suggest any driving schools for me to go to? I tried Ferrari in LIC and CDT in Suffolk County and they told me it would be wise to get the School Bus Endorsement as well. However, I don't want to drive a school bus. I want to drive a transit bus.

I have the Learners Permit currently with the Passenger and Air Brake Endorsements. I said that I'd get the SB Endorsement just as an add on and because many people that I know started off driving school buses before heading to Transit. I just need a place to learn how to operate a Transit Bus and at a reasonable price.:confused:

 

I looked for a driving school that you can obtain your CDL B on a transit bus and couldn't find one. So I did what a lot of people do,learn on a school bus..went to a driving school(Northside in Ridgewood,Queens). I took 10 lessons($850.00). I also have no desire to drive a school bus,just wanted to get my CDL B before they call me in from bus operator exam #8006.

 

Verydry is giving you good advice,get your CDL B with the proper endorsements now. Qualifying on those 10 days is eneough to worry about. Why add to the pressure of having to pass a DMV road test?

 

Most companies require that you have at least 2 yrs driving experience,yes there are some private coach bus lines where they hire with no driving experience,but they are too far of a commute to make it worthwhile. Whatever you decide to do,good luck.

[1daysoon]

You and me both. Last I heard, there was supposed to be MaBSTOA B/O class in July and it was cancelled for unknown reasons.

Now I have to wait for them to contact me again to go back to 180 Livingston for a drug test(3rd time) and a medical (2nd time). When that will be? I hope soon because I'm in need of work and this is what I really want to do. I've placed other jobs off because I thought I was going to get called for a July class. They told me at the BOSS Exam to get your CDL Permit and whatnot and then we will train you to get the license. I have up to 1-10-09 to get the license. Otherwise it will expire. And I don't really want to go to a school and pay all that money when the MTA will offer it for 0. But who knows when they will contact me again. It could be months for all that I know.:confused:

On a side note, any word on the MTA Bus BOSS Exam? I took that back in April and haven't heard the results from that either. Also, they will go by list number to contact you and mine is 5921. So I have a while to wait.

MaBSTOA my list number is 1610.

 

I also took the MTA bus boss test in april..exam 8008, I passed that test too. I just got those results back. My list number is 55xx.

[petabread]

Anyone here know the phone number for the testing section for the MABSTOA exam?

[Bee Flexible #823]

Unfortunately, I have some bad news to report for those who filed for MaBSTOA and/or MTA Bus Operator:

I contacted 180 Livingston Street HR Dept today to check on my status for both MaBSTOA and MTAB. There is currently a hiring freeze with all or most of the MTA Operations. When that freeze will be lifted is unknown at the present time. There are no bus operator classes scheduled for the near future...at least for the summer months. At the same time, I was informed to contact them at this months end.

On a side note, WCBL is no better than the MTA. I called them today to check on the status of an application that I submitted back in March. They are also not hiring drivers even though there's a sign right outside their depot stating that they are. I was informed that I was not selected for an interview for a P/T B/O. No F/T positions have been available since I applied.

I am in current need of work. I would like to be a bus operator for somebody. I don't really want to go forth with school bus operations. I am running out of ideas. Please help!

[DOB2RTO]

You can always try coach USA or any other private carrier that's how I got my license I don't know if I have to pay them back they never called me telling me anything I just told them I couldn't complete the training which I couldn't because rockland county was a little bit too much and that fare system that they have was the pits

 

I started at Rockland Coaches (aka Coach USA Red and Tan Lines), and you don't pay them back. The instructor told us that they knew of people who used them just to get CDL licenses, and they couldn't do a thing to get the money they spend on training them back. I left due to the fare system also. Making change, 99 zones, no thanks........

 

Unfortunately, I have some bad news to report for those who filed for MaBSTOA and/or MTA Bus Operator:

I contacted 180 Livingston Street HR Dept today to check on my status for both MaBSTOA and MTAB. There is currently a hiring freeze with all or most of the MTA Operations. When that freeze will be lifted is unknown at the present time. There are no bus operator classes scheduled for the near future...at least for the summer months. At the same time, I was informed to contact them at this months end.

On a side note, WCBL is no better than the MTA. I called them today to check on the status of an application that I submitted back in March. They are also not hiring drivers even though there's a sign right outside their depot stating that they are. I was informed that I was not selected for an interview for a P/T B/O. No F/T positions have been available since I applied.

I am in current need of work. I would like to be a bus operator for somebody. I don't really want to go forth with school bus operations. I am running out of ideas. Please help!

 

Forget cheese buses, as most only have part-time work. Take yourself to International Bus (aka Coach USA Gray Line), and start there while waiting for MTA or Liberty Lines. They have good pay and benefits compared to any other Coach USA outfit, and from what drivers there told me, they get overtime rate, and of course tips. It won't be what the MTA will give you, but it's one of the best among Coach companies. You could be asked to do NYU shuttles, but when they don't need so many drivers during the summer months, they will have you do sightseeing jobs. A few of my ex-Campus Coach co-workers went there. One did both, the other two strictly sightseeing. Those sightseeing buses are where the money is at. Get out there and put in an application, if they have openings......

 

Gray Line: http://www.coachusa.com/newyorksightseeing/ftr.employment.results.filter.asp?company=all&state=NJ&job=Drivers&status=Full-Time&x=85&y=8

 

New York Airport Service: http://www.nyairportservice.com/page.php?id=43

 

Academy: http://www.academybus.com/careers_open_career_opportunities_jobdescription.asp?careerid=7

 

I would try Academy since it seems Gray Line has no driver openings now........ The pay is the pits at Academy, but it's better than nothing. They do have good equpiment. NYAS.......well you possibly seen those POS on wheels.......

[petabread]

Hey Bee Flex,

 

What number did you use to contact 180 Livingston? I need it. It sucks they are on a hiring freeze, maybe they'll be hiring again soon.

[DOB2RTO]

Hey Bee Flex,

 

What number did you use to contact 180 Livingston? I need it. It sucks they are on a hiring freeze, maybe they'll be hiring again soon.

 

I would just be very patient. Remember it took me 3 and 1/2 years to get into OA. It won't take you all that long. They had class, on top of class, some overlapping. Right now, they may have all they will need, and depending on how the budget goes, they might start hiring in mass again. For this to happen, the service increases and extra routes have to become true......If not this the 20/50 will have to come through.......If neither, then when they start hiring, it won't be at the pace they currently did............

[BusOperator3319]

 

I would just be very patient. Remember it took me 3 and 1/2 years to get into OA. It won't take you all that long. They had class, on top of class, some overlapping. Right now, they may have all they will need, and depending on how the budget goes, they might start hiring in mass again. For this to happen, the service increases and extra routes have to become true......If not this the 20/50 will have to come through.......If neither, then when they start hiring, it won't be at the pace they currently did............

Jea unfortunately I had to go with Access a Ride I could not just sit home it's not what I wanted but I will make due until they start hiring again But it's really funny how Long Island Bus is excepting applications By Appointment only for part time Bus Operators tomorrow I would have gone but I have to finish training

[DOB2RTO]

Jea unfortunatly I had to go with Access a Ride I could not just sit home it's not what I wanted but I will make due until they start hiring again But it's really funny how Long Island Bus is excepting applications By Appointment only for part time Bus Operators tomorrow I would have gone but I have to finish training

 

Good Lawd! If you believe in a higher power, may whomever you believe in, guide you.........

[Bee Flexible #823]

347-643-8199.

[BklynBob]

Do you belong to NYCERS? Or is this a private pension/457k type of plan? thanks,bt.

[Bee Flexible #823]

There's no word on any upcoming hirings. It's going to be quite some time IMO.

As I said in a previous posting, I'm not sure what to do...wait or go forth.

I'm damned if I get something and I like it and then they decide to call and damned if I wait for them to contact me. I'll probably do the 1st option because it could be months or perhaps years before they start up again and this way I'd be ok financially.

[DOB2RTO]

Do you belong to NYCERS? Or is this a private pension/457k type of plan? thanks,bt.

 

NYCERS.......

[Bee Flexible #823]

I don't belong to NYCERS.

[Express Bus Operator]

Interesting... So What is an BOSS exam?