If I were to drive a CTA bus...

[busmancow]

Hello everyone, I am 22 years old and a city bus operator for METS Transit in Evansville, Indiana and have worked there for 6 years with most of it spent in maintenance. Anyway Im not planning on leaving METS for a long time, but often wondored what it would be like to work for CTA, so my questions are...

1-If I were to apply, what are my chances of getting a full-time position starting out?

2-What are my chances of getting hired at my age?

3-Would I be put in dangerous unwanted areas and routes at first where I would likely be in danger?

4-What is the pay scale for a full-time bus operator at CTA?

5-When compared to other transit systems is CTA as good of a place to work for as it seems to be?

6-Not being a native of Chicago, would it even be possible for someone such as me to learn all I need to know to be a bus operator in such a large city?

7-Are routes structured there to where a driver can do the speed limit or close to it rather than being forced to drive 10mph or more over the speed limit constantly to just barely make the schedule as it is here at METS?

8-How often does a driver there get a chance to use the restroom, smoke etc. on avarege?

These are just some of the questions I thought of, your input is very much apreciated. Thanks!-Kyle

[Busjack]

I'm not a driver, but a few observations:

The postings for positions are now generally only for part time to start.

Unless you get an express route, most of the CTA routes stop 8 times per mile. Bus bunching is frequent, and there is now only a test of gps scheduling and tracking on one route (20 Madison).

You do need a CDL, but I suppose that's the case everywhere.

Being new, you would be on the extra board and get whatever is left.

Since there are 8 garages, the neighborhoods differ. And since some routes go the length or width of the city, you would get, say on 9 Ashland, everything from the yuppies of west Lakeview, to the recent immigrant area of Back of the Yards, to the economically depressed area of Englewood, where the garage is. There are some areas of feuding gangs of similar and different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Even Forest Glen, which is on the northwest side of the city, and has as close to suburban runs as can be found in the city, has routes going eastbound that are about as heavy and ethnically diverse as any other (such as Lawrence).

You might want to read the CTA Tattler to see if you could deal with some of the passengers.

Finally, it looks like Pace has conditions more similar to the ones to which you are accustomed, but its job postings also indicate that all openings, except one in Aurora, are part time, too. (Interestingly, the Pace postings don't say you have to drive the bus, unless "transport passengers" is an euphemism for that).

[busmancow]

I'm not a driver, but a few observations:

The postings for positions are now generally only for part time to start.

Unless you get an express route, most of the CTA routes stop 8 times per mile. Bus bunching is frequent, and there is now only a test of gps scheduling and tracking on one route (20 Madison).

You do need a CDL, but I suppose that's the case everywhere.

Being new, you would be on the extra board and get whatever is left.

Since there are 8 garages, the neighborhoods differ. And since some routes go the length or width of the city, you would get, say on 9 Ashland, everything from the yuppies of west Lakeview, to the recent immigrant area of Back of the Yards, to the economically depressed area of Englewood, where the garage is. There are some areas of feuding gangs of similar and different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Even Forest Glen, which is on the northwest side of the city, and has as close to suburban runs as can be found in the city, has routes going eastbound that are about as heavy and ethnically diverse as any other (such as Lawrence).

You might want to read the CTA Tattler to see if you could deal with some of the passengers.

Finally, it looks like Pace has conditions more similar to the ones to which you are accustomed, but its job postings also indicate that all openings, except one in Aurora, are part time, too. (Interestingly, the Pace postings don't say you have to drive the bus, unless "transport passengers" is an euphemism for that).

Busjack-Thank you for your input. I do have a Class B CDL with Air brakes, passenger, interstate, and even a tanker endorsement. I have read the CTA Tattler and honestly it sounds about the same as what we have to deal with here, you would not think a city such as Evansville would be that bad, but it is. The class of passnegers here for the most part only the poor trouble making lower class, as Evansville is more of a "driving city" rather than a transit using city such as Chicago. I have often wondored about Pace as well, but it does not pay as much as CTA correct? I believe I could do well as a driver there, just basically wondor how it would compare to here. Here drivers have pretty much no rights, I could go on and on about that, but as much as I love my home company, its getting really bad and I have always had the desire to me more professional and able to work for a system that I can be more proud of. Anyway thanks for the info!-Kyle

[trainman8119]

As a former Pace driver (and supervisor, for that matter), don't count on any driver rights. Pace has 10 garages and is affiliated with 10 different unions (or at least at one time they were). The company has always tried to keep it that way so that there is no union solidarity. Aurora, Fox Valley, has full time openings because they could never attract part timers there, and the union negotiated full time status for new hires there. However, the new full timers are only guaranteed 30 hours a week at the start (same as the old part timers), and are used and abused as needed. Keep in mind also, that they do not have garage to garage moving. If you are hired at Northwest, for example, that is who you work for, Pace Northwest. If you wanted to go to West Division, then you would have to resign from Northwest and get rehired at West. It is a goofy system to say the least.

As for the CTA...from the drivers I have contact, there are not many rights there either. There is constant bickering over contracts, lack of overtime (the union pretty much gave a lot of that away when part timers became more of an integral part of the operation a few years back), poor work assignments, etc. With the constant whining from management about money there, I am not too sure it is a good place to go right now.

[Busjack]

As for the CTA... There is constant bickering over contracts, lack of overtime ...  poor work assignments, etc.  With the constant whining from management about money there, I am not too sure it is a good place to go right now.

I would tend to reinforce that point. Click on the link on the Home Page from Crain's Chicago Business. Also, it was previously announced that CTA has a pension underfunding problem of about $200 million a year. The pension may not be a concern of a 21 year old, but combining a $300 million new deficit above the $500 million a year now subsidized [see the 2006 Operating Budget, page 32], if CTA were a private company like GM, United Airlines or the like, there would be massive layoffs.

[busmancow]

This is all very interesting, maybe it is one of those "The grass is always greener on the other side" things. I have always looked up to CTA and still do for being an outstanding service, but the truth always comes out from the insiders, then again there are always ups and downs to every transit system. Keep the information flowing! Thanks-Kyle