I agree ☝🏾 all I do is make sure there’s no severe damage, check the ramp, brake test, and make sure there’s fuel because I did one time run out of gas by relieving someone who didn’t pay attention to the gauge.
Coming from being a truck driver, I was shocked with how easy it is to parallel park these buses. I was like, "There are windows everywhere, so I can see through the walls! I can see exactly what each part of the vehicle is doing!"
I have a lot of respect for transit drivers they deal with a lot of people who aren't nice at times and they drive in all kinds of weather kudos to you all
My hubsand is also a bus operator and he is learning ASL and he told me that it was a deaf lady was speaking the ASL language and he spoke to her and gave her better directions. I'm also born deaf with autism and I am happy to be subscribed to the channel.
one more thing, the air brake portion of the CDL must be done correctly, any failure on the air brake portion will result in automatic failure of the CDL driving test, at least in my state.
Second yep! I almost failed my first BTW CDL test. Other than that passed it. I was told the 60 minute pre trip would be cut down to 10 minutes and still not enough time. The shop preforms 60% of the pre trip and post trip. We just make sure the bus can travel down the road safely.
Man La metro here lol. Man, I remember my time back In training what an experience. We had a test every Friday and you had to pass with at least 80% on your exam. Talk about studying all night lol. You learn the job and yes it's bus boot camp because they're taking you out of the regular everyday driver world into a world-class professional driver. Hard training to the point where your habits in that bus goes into you driver your own car..and still getting the big picture. Once your driver license turn from C into an CDL B your life has changed. You're held at an higher standard. Them speeding tickets... those are higher then the regular folk.. Why cause your suppose to know better.... That's what the judge will tell ya... So you gotta put respect on that street period..... But what a rewarding career it has been for me 14 years of driving and still going. I started when I was 21.... BUS DRIVER LIFE best channel bro much love to you my good sir keep doing what you are doing...... BiG DAME out!!!
@@BusDriverLife hello there Mr bus driver I was wondering do you have a PO box as I would like to send you some stuff from the UK to try and do a review on if not do you have a e-mail address that I could contact you on I knew this may seem a bit strange but I send stuff from the UK to other youtubers to do reviews on mainly snacks and sweets stuff like that it makes interesting viewing
@@adventureoflinkmk2 The steers are set back behind you in a bus. To make some turns you have to get the cab you sit in(nose) over the sidewalk. That is dirtying the nose.
My first week of training with New York City Transit I wanted to quit we had a woman superintendent training us screaming at us every 2 seconds the second week they change instructors to some guy and he was calm laid back didn't scream and yell and passed everybody and now I'm still here 15 years later
I was surprised how in depth the training was when I went through it. It wasn’t long though before I realized why it was so in depth. Excellent training!!!
I got yelled at constantly when I was training in Portland, and I was an experienced operator. I'm light rail now! Everything he showed, the Square your turns, rock and roll method, and pretrips are VERY important! You need all these tools to be a successful and safe bus operator!
It's so funny you posted this today i have my final evaluation tomorrow at 6am here in Houston hope to pass and graduate Friday to be an official bus operator. its been a long 13 weeks your channel has kept me entertained and motivated through out this journey thank you very much also a Milwaukee native.
I wish I had the amount of training you went through. With that stated, the best training is actual hands-on driving during your first year of being a bus operator. Great videos. Keep it up.
Yoooo! I'm not gonna lie, it took us a few minutes to recognize that pic in the thumbnail. We were like, "That bus looks familiar... That cone placement and bus yard look familiar... IT'S US!" Shout out to Keywan for not only having us in the thumbnail but adding a snippet of one of our training videos in your video! Also, shout out to Spokane Transit for helping us set that course up! Just wanted to say Link Transit's Training Dept. are huge fans of this channel. We use a lot of Keywan's videos to show our trainees examples of what they can expect once they get out there with the public. Anyway, just thought that was super cool! Keep it up, sir, love the videos!
Very interesting. Tbh this is better in some ways than our training. Yes, those videos can be super corny, but they make you understand and remember more, at least that's what I think. Plus, the driving part of the training seems more 'practically oriented' than ours, which is just basically 'go and try'.
Holy y’all’s training is actually in depth. Ours was 4-5 weeks. Depending on the license you held. We were driving the following the day we started….. never drove a bus transit before.
@@EhCanadianater yeah. This seemed in depth. I walked into my agency with a commercial learners permit as required on Monday. We drove the bus around the yard on Wednesday, and were driving on city streets that Saturday. We only had four days of coach practice before we had our CDL exam. It was intense.
Stressful, especially if you add Trolley bus to the roster of skills required. Super rewarding when all those skills come together and you achieve some level of harmony with the machine
Trolley Buses are awesome. I couldn’t see driving them right after getting your CDL, but I started driving them five months after I got my CDL and they’re awesome. Frustrating as hell at first, but then getting it right is awesome.
For pace, we also did 2 weeks of class training, including 3 tests in which your required to pass with 80% average, on top of that, they where strict in that you had to show up on time every day, and you where required to be awake the whole time. yes we had to watch that metro square your turn video. we had to watch so many other videos. too. we also had to do 40 hours of drive time before we could take our CDL driving test. this included skills training and also route learning. finally we had 4 to 6 weeks of line training with a operator.
It crazy I see this message i just got my offer letter with them I just did my dot physical I’m waiting for the safety and training manager to call me back it been a week now.
Thanks for this video. I use transit everyday here in Miami, mostly buses, and I am always fascinated by bus operators and the work they do everyday. I'm so appreciatitve. 😊
Thank you for watching and acknowledging the hard work that goes into this! I gotta visit Miami one day!! I’m jealous that they were just filming the new bad boys movie with Will and Martin on location! Must be nice!
I hated the dreaded parallel park. Almost messed it up on my road test and they give you ONE try (with 3 times you can step out of the bus to check your trajectory). 50 foot backing and offset backing was by far the easiest.
Comparing with my country, the "Bus driving bootcamp" looks like when we get the (ordinary) drivers licence to drive a bus. Then after that, there is a 140 hour class of laws and regulations to get the "CDL" on top of that, and finaly you add on the company training and line training.
That first clip was produced by the transit district I work for 😅. Yes, training for city transit can be kinda stressful. We got very good training where I work. I think the thing people need to know is the fact that city bus operating is a completely different animal from most other career paths. The training is intense, but getting out there on your own for the first time is even more intense. In my opinion, a *lot* of people come to this profession unprepared for the realities of what we face everyday, which is why the attrition rate is so high in this industry. It takes people who have a lot of grit. Personally, I love this job, and would recommend to *anyone,* except that not just anyone can do what we do. You have to be a person who can let things roll off you and not take it personally. As I’ve stated in comments I’ve made in some of your other videos, a bus operator has to be able to keep the main thing the main thing by realizing you’re out there getting paid by the minute. Now you can either work hard and get stressed out for that pay, or you can take it like an Ex-lax, chill, and make that money the easy way. I prefer making my money the easy way. I get paid by the minute no matter what happens, and that’s what keeps me coming back everyday. Follow the rules, be nice to people, and let things sliiiiide…. And then get paid… and then buy yaself a nice car… go shopping and get you some nice threads, and go on nice vacations… and on your off time, strut around like you got this life by the *balls!* 😅
Great points made here! I completely agree! I talk about fare disputes on this channel because it’s interesting and entertaining but I always make a point to..like you said…let it slide! It’s not worth arguing over! People should pay and have a seat..but also..I’m not fighting over it if they don’t! lol
My training with Disney was like 6 weeks. First half was classroom and road training with CDL testing. Second half was location training. First half of the second portion was learning how to get around all the resorts. Second half was actually working out of all the “hubs” (all the theme parks and Disney Springs) with guests onboard with an assessment if you comprehend what you learned if you can satisfactorily drive unaccompanied.
This all sounds so similar to what I went through during my first round of training with that of my current railroad company and the battery of both classroom/hands on and later, on the job training to be not only company certified by overall FRA qualified/licensed. The rules we learned were sort of similar to all of those mentioned here, but a lot more intense with things such as NORAC/GCOR, Class One (basically our version of pretrip) train inspections and airbrake tests, hand signals, blue flag protection and a lot more.
As a visually impaired passenger who is actually blind, I appreciate how much training goes into being a bus operator, whether it is in my hometown of Toronto Ontario Canada, or wherever in the world. I know some of what drivers learn because of an audiobook I had purchased in 2018, all about obtaining the commercial drivers license. I can't find it in the iTunes Store anymore and I hope it either returns, or there will be another book like this coming soon.
This is a good way to recruit. Back in the dark ages when I started, at age 18, in 1972, I first drove a hotel shuttle bus (cutaway). I then graduated to a school bus. you had to be 25 years old to go to Greyhound, and when I got to 25, they were only hiring for SamTrans. I wanted to go on the road, and do charter trips, and line service. So I did with a fallen flag called LTR. After 28 years of that, I went to SacRT, and did 20 there. Keywan. A great ambassador for the bus business. You and James Wang at Peoria Charters should get together and eat. I’m sure you both would have some entertaining stories.
I am just starting to do this, and just get an interview is a big process just to get that far and I'm praying that I do because it's been a goal of mine since I was 10. I'm 42 so just keep praying but that helped a lot. And yes, no matter how stressful the training may be, I'm still looking forward to being a bus driver a transit operator. Thank you for the video
A thorough pre-trip takes 30 minutes. However, we only get 10 minutes to pre-trip our bus before leaving the garage. When I questioned this in training, I was told that 10 minutes is you get paid for.
Very interesting video. I'm a bus and motorcoach driver in Australia and would absolutely love to have the opportunity to drive buses in the United States one day.
I just passed training and I’m so glad that we don’t ever have to do a pre trip and alley backup ever again 😂 We just do a pre-service to make sure everything is in line, and our mechanics take care of the rest.
It is a lot of information but..just come up with a pattern! Do it the exact same way each time when you study! Get into a rhythm almost like a song. You will get it!
I'm in the process of trying to be a bus driver, too; and stuff like this makes me worry... but that's the problem. It's all overwhelming, because we are talking about a huge responsibility driving a tank around with people's lives in our hands.... but, think about how many things in life we over-thought, causing ourself unnecessary anxiety only to accomplish it... We got this! I also think about how many people are bus drivers. If they can do it, so can we! I just know that I am going to rely on study methods that I know work for me. For example, I absorb and remember information for better if I write it down. So even if I was not to write it down as it was happening anything that I could take video of I would go through the video and write it down in study notes. And I think it was excellent advice to stick to an organized routine. Not only does it make it easier to remember, but helps with preventing risk of forgetting steps.
Here in Rochester NY at Rgrta or RTS, I started as a bus washer already with my CDL( Class A with passenger Endorsement) in 2021. 5 months later i became a bus driver. Consist of 1.5 ride along(Route learning), 5 weeks of driving that includes 1. turning techniques, 2. road adaptations, like road conditions from weather, knowing what a hazards and when hazards can occur 3. transit center drive through to know gate assignments and how to pull in and pull out 4. pre trips and post trips 5. More route learning 6. Farebox 7. Bus stop approaching and leaving After completing driving instruction time depending if you have your license, you get 1 or 2 weeks of mentoring. Basically the beginning of really learning the job. After completing that. You a bus driver.
I got my bus licence in Australia back in 1978 through a driving school. I drove trucks and coaches there all my working life before moving to the UK. My Australian licence for a commercial vehicle was not valid in the UK, which meant I had to do another driving test. In both countries, I never had any specific ' air brake' testing or exam to complete.
In Switzerland we also use airbrakes, but we don't do all this stuff, honestly, especially not the pumping with the foot on the brake until it's just about empty just to see if the emergency break comes on. :) We do a pre-check for sure, but to test if the brakes work properly, we leave the depot, make a full (rather harsh) stop in the yard in front of the depot, and that's enough for a brake test (Bremsprobe we call it here). Also, there is no reciting like it's done in your video, we do explain, but not talk for minutes without a break. :)
Airbreak test is more thorough and can predict better what will happen. Aggressive stoppage, doesn’t actually show that the bus is having compression issues.
I have my class a cdl. Been driving semi's now for 7 years. 6 of those years was OTR. I do yard spotter/shuttle work now. I have no interest in driving a bus, but I am interested in what the process is like. I know you sit far forward of the steers so that might take a little getting used to. I live in Chicago and I definitely wouldn't want to be a bus driver here. Great video man.
Thanks man! I love the city of Chicago but I definitely wouldn’t want to drive a bus through some of those neighborhoods. As for sitting in front of the steer tires..it definitely took a minute to get used to especially coming from conventional school buses. Thank you for watching!
The fun thing about sitting forward of the steers, is that when you’ve turned the steering wheel to the stops, you go to the side first. It’s kinda awesome, and something I notice less and less now, but was really aware of when I started.
In NYC one of the requirements is either a CDL, class A or B or Motor Vehicle License with Commercial Permit and it's got to be within 3 years and also if you got the Permit MTA wll help you get the CDL for no charge.
I'm considering being a suburban bus driver here in Chicagoland (what up fellow Chiraq burbs residents?), but there's a small problem. My adoptive parents, who I still live with cuz times be tight, find it declasse to be a commercial driver of ANY kind; bus, truck, whatever. They got respect (ostensibly) for drivers, but they don't want ME being one.
If it’s something you like to do and can do well, do it. I’ve got a bachelor’s degree, am fairly tech savvy, but I sucked at those jobs. I really like driving the bus, and it pays well.
this video brings back a lot of memories from last year. there are few things as nervewracking as when a very tall man grabs the steering wheel to correct you while you're driving 😭. 15 mph never feels faster than when you're learning to drive a bus
Not a bus driver or ever thought of being one, but every time I would go to school/work and back, I kept thinking that there must be a lot of skill in manoeuvering a large piece of machinery like this - and also that no transit system would just trust someone with a couple hundred thousand dollar vehicle unless they were trained very well...
Most of those vehicles are around a million dollars a piece if not more. There is a lot of skill, but once you know what you’re doing it gets pretty doable.
Just got hired, I got training on June 10th. I’m excited and nervous specially since I been watching ur videos. Thank you for doing this for peeps that want to do this job.
I've been a bus driver for 11 months. I drove that exact bus you featured in the parallel parking segment, that was my trainer Dawson for Link Transit in Wenatchee Washington. We even watched some of your videos in our training 😂 My girlfriend watched this with me, she remembers how intense the training was and all the studying for that pre-trip 😅 Thank you for the great videos!
I’m in training now in Florida and yes all the information is too much but I’m all in I have a cdl class A but I need a pension . I’m driving the bus tomorrow for the first time wish me luck I drive a semi this should be cake
Nowadays they wanna preach LLLC... it seems its been that way since as keywan said DOT changed the education requirements Oh yeah. Look around Look ahead Leave room Communicate 😊
Once again great film my friend! Trained and drove transit buses in the 90s, training was similar although probably somewhat different, I drive a large bucket truck now and learned a lot from my bus training, a difficult High responsible job for sure
was hired on by my city on the 22nd of july and was released to my own route (late night) 6 days later.... helped that i had 3 years experience driving highway coach for a private company... dealing with the general public was the challenge...
I was stepping out of trucking cause I needed to be local and had no luck with finding a job, so I applied for the transit in my area. After them ppl I'm in told me the starting pay was 18...I felt so depressed cause it was too low. Plus, the schedule and dealing with the public in that area wasn't worth it along with other things. I found your channel and binge watched you and started feeling better about it. I was mentally preparing myself. Then, I was offered a local trucking job 😅. But I will continue to watch your vids, I enjoy them.
I was in the same position wanted to get out of trucking and into something that will guarantee me steady hours and daily home, however where I live to drive a City bus paid significantly more than Local CDL Trucking Job so now I'm a Bus Driver for the last 6 months it's definitely not as easy as Truck Drivers seem to think it would be it will keep you on your toes and requires FULL attention 100% of the time I can say that I come home more exsausted than I did as a Local Truck Driver
EX OTR truck driver for 23 years, then school bus driver for 2 years, plus at weekends a brakeman on a passenger train (federal certification) for 2 years. I found it interesting, for got how much there is to learn
That is how it is here in IL except operators must recert every 3 to 5 years (depending on agency), sooner if they get a major violation regardless of vehicle the violation occurs in (transit or personal). Operators also do "hand off" inspections when taking a bus from another operator (this catch stuff that failed after the pre-trip inspection - usually a result of vandalism).
After driving semis for 5 years, I’m making a transition to driving buses for metro. I’m pretty excited, although i will miss the trucking life. Trucker at ❤️
I remember parallel parking a H45 in New York City while surrounded by bus drivers on break…. You can go from king to the current town fool depending on how you do…. lol
I appreciate bus drivers because public transportation is an absolute necessity in a city. In fact, we need more of it. I also know that other road users make mistakes around buses that are out of the bus driver's control. That being said, I wish part of bus driver training included being on the road as a bicyclist and having a bus approach you from behind and pass only inches from you and continue to drive down the bike lane. That way, if they see what that's like on a personal level, they might be less likely to do it to someone else. I've experienced bus drivers do this to me many times. Just the other day, a tour bus approached me from behind and passed so close that I didn't even have to fully extend my arm to touch the bus. It scared the shit out of me and could have killed me if I had hit a pothole, wobbled, or if the bus driver needed to move even further to the right to avoid something on their left.
Thanks for the great video. I’m currently in the hiring process and am excited to start training. Do you have any recommendations for succeeding in training and getting the most out of it?
Just devote most of your time during training to studying and memorizing so you can pass the exams. They want/need you to pass the training process..but you must invest the time. You will be fine if you do that and remember training is only temporary!
lol I remember about 28 years ago, when I hired on at the time to US Xpress , a good company back then. In our “Disorientation” class our instructor had to take a break due to some office task. So he told us to NOT OBEY ANYTHING WE SEE ON THE “safety” video…Cops scariest chases volume 2😂 specifically don’t take an M-60 army tank and rampage through the neighborhood. Definitely don’t do that😂😂😂😂 I called it Disorientation because anytime a student has more questions about the job AFTER it’s over than before they started basically means one is disoriented 😂
Hmm, the first thing is that you have to know where your wheeles are, then you have to know how far back the end of the bus are, the third thing you have to know how far in front you kan drive before youre front wheeles hit the curb or as in norway, the drop comes, lol.
they make me do the serpentine in reverse yesterday ., and had to be at the first try without getting out of the bus with a motorcoach and no moving forward any time but drive me crazy is the pre trip
I used to drive a tour bus driver doing a city tour in nyc is hardest part so many tide street narrow lane.after drive a year you are ok almost everywhere
Wow, what a difference between countries? In Melbourne, Australia, you can get your licence within 5 hours, then fill out some forms to get a WWC (Working with Children's, check) and then drivers accreditation. Once all the paperwork is done and you get a job, you're lucky if you spend a week in the classroom then you're out picking up passengers with a senior driver just to learn the routes. Then you're on your own to figure out the rest by yourself. Your systems seem much better to me.
I am considering applying to drive for the city. I have experience driving 15 passenger van and my car but not the size of the bus. I know the city access van is slightly smaller and has an opening also. Was it the same training for both where you trained? Your video help me be more comfortable knowing there will be plenty of training Thank you.
The funniest thing about behind the wheel training that I have experienced is when you’re out on the road practicing routes and people think that it’s the bus that they need. And then they flag you down as you passed them, all the while the top of your bus says “driver training“ or “Training bus”
Come to vancouver and drive a Trolley. 6 week class. Spend an hour or 2 driving through the bus yard 1 day. Then revenue and drive training out in the real world. No cone work to warm up, just get out there. 1 city block of Trolley line is a million dollar repair. Run 1 red light double your 675 hour probation. Close a door on a person, redo training and double probation if you don't get fired.
I know we’re talking about public busses but I was a hair away from messing up on skills because of roll back but I passed and I’m happy now what I want to get is my air brakes endorsement
For a California SBD certificate examination given by the CHP, you have to successfully back around a curve to the right and be within 12 inches of the curb; no parallel parking is required. The advice that I give rookie SB driver is: “Protect your right.”
Can you please make more videos like this one? I wish that there was a video like Frontier Airlines' "Flight Attendant School" that you can watch where they have different episodes where people beginning to become a flight attendant are introduced to the class and then they go through each step of the process until they graduate. I wish there was something like that but it would take people through the steps they would go through from learning to becoming a bus driver for both fixed route and paratransit to light rail to commuter rail such as the UTA FrontRunner?
That guy in the red shirt in the training video is a paid actor He played the reporter in the Denzel Washington, Chris Pine movie. "Unstoppable" about a runaway train. BTW, is that a new mic?
I didn’t realize he was in that movie..I need to go back and watch it! It’s the same rode mic with the handheld mic adapter. I get a cleaner sound in my opinion.
@BusDriverLife Sounds good to me. BTW, you noticed the air brake test in that Flyer was different from the way we do it? The engine was off the entire time and when the brake popped, then she started the engine for the build up. E-tran buses are like that. They're crazy different.
18 years later my pre trip has been condensed to a 30 second walk around lol
ahahah preach, I only check if the bus breaks work, ramp works, and if the bell works
🤣 👍
Presumably because the agencies have cut down times so much
Ain’t nobody got time for that
I am still on 4 min, mostly to fill the paperwork.
I agree ☝🏾 all I do is make sure there’s no severe damage, check the ramp, brake test, and make sure there’s fuel because I did one time run out of gas by relieving someone who didn’t pay attention to the gauge.
Coming from being a truck driver, I was shocked with how easy it is to parallel park these buses. I was like, "There are windows everywhere, so I can see through the walls! I can see exactly what each part of the vehicle is doing!"
God bless you, i hate parallel parking on semi truck
i am training on bus soon, i can do the 53ft trailer parallel park so i hope the bus is easy too
I have a lot of respect for transit drivers they deal with a lot of people who aren't nice at times and they drive in all kinds of weather kudos to you all
My hubsand is also a bus operator and he is learning ASL and he told me that it was a deaf lady was speaking the ASL language and he spoke to her and gave her better directions. I'm also born deaf with autism and I am happy to be subscribed to the channel.
I’m happy to have you here! Thanks for watching!!
one more thing, the air brake portion of the CDL must be done correctly, any failure on the air brake portion will result in automatic failure of the CDL driving test, at least in my state.
Yup!!
Second yep! I almost failed my first BTW CDL test. Other than that passed it. I was told the 60 minute pre trip would be cut down to 10 minutes and still not enough time. The shop preforms 60% of the pre trip and post trip. We just make sure the bus can travel down the road safely.
To get your Air Brake in Canada it is the same way. You must pass the practical portion without mistakes
Man La metro here lol. Man, I remember my time back In training what an experience. We had a test every Friday and you had to pass with at least 80% on your exam. Talk about studying all night lol. You learn the job and yes it's bus boot camp because they're taking you out of the regular everyday driver world into a world-class professional driver.
Hard training to the point where your habits in that bus goes into you driver your own car..and still getting the big picture. Once your driver license turn from C into an CDL B your life has changed. You're held at an higher standard. Them speeding tickets... those are higher then the regular folk.. Why cause your suppose to know better.... That's what the judge will tell ya... So you gotta put respect on that street period..... But what a rewarding career it has been for me 14 years of driving and still going. I started when I was 21.... BUS DRIVER LIFE best channel bro much love to you my good sir keep doing what you are doing...... BiG DAME out!!!
I appreciate you!! All valid points made!
Yes, indeed. Make a career out of it, and enjoy your retirement. I did it for 48 years.
@@Qrail man many blessing
I'm curious what you think of the New Flyer electric buses, how are they holding up?
@@BusDriverLife hello there Mr bus driver I was wondering do you have a PO box as I would like to send you some stuff from the UK to try and do a review on if not do you have a e-mail address that I could contact you on I knew this may seem a bit strange but I send stuff from the UK to other youtubers to do reviews on mainly snacks and sweets stuff like that it makes interesting viewing
Square your turns, rock and roll, dirty the nose on the turn. I remember those days. Yeah, that dude is in pretty much every CDL video out there.
Dirty the nose?
I’m guessing that means “dig into it head first” or something like that. 🤷🏽♂️ @SolarWraith ?
@@adventureoflinkmk2
The steers are set back behind you in a bus. To make some turns you have to get the cab you sit in(nose) over the sidewalk. That is dirtying the nose.
My first week of training with New York City Transit I wanted to quit we had a woman superintendent training us screaming at us every 2 seconds the second week they change instructors to some guy and he was calm laid back didn't scream and yell and passed everybody and now I'm still here 15 years later
Did you train in Floyd Bennet Field?
I was surprised how in depth the training was when I went through it. It wasn’t long though before I realized why it was so in depth. Excellent training!!!
I got yelled at constantly when I was training in Portland, and I was an experienced operator. I'm light rail now!
Everything he showed, the Square your turns, rock and roll method, and pretrips are VERY important! You need all these tools to be a successful and safe bus operator!
I'm going the light rail route myself
@@damedash4012 sweet! Where at?
It's so funny you posted this today i have my final evaluation tomorrow at 6am here in Houston hope to pass and graduate Friday to be an official bus operator. its been a long 13 weeks your channel has kept me entertained and motivated through out this journey thank you very much also a Milwaukee native.
I wish I had the amount of training you went through. With that stated, the best training is actual hands-on driving during your first year of being a bus operator. Great videos. Keep it up.
Yes!! Real world experience in your first few years really teaches you how to be an operator!
Yoooo! I'm not gonna lie, it took us a few minutes to recognize that pic in the thumbnail. We were like, "That bus looks familiar... That cone placement and bus yard look familiar... IT'S US!" Shout out to Keywan for not only having us in the thumbnail but adding a snippet of one of our training videos in your video! Also, shout out to Spokane Transit for helping us set that course up! Just wanted to say Link Transit's Training Dept. are huge fans of this channel. We use a lot of Keywan's videos to show our trainees examples of what they can expect once they get out there with the public. Anyway, just thought that was super cool! Keep it up, sir, love the videos!
Watching them do the walk around, reminds me of doing my pilot license
Very interesting. Tbh this is better in some ways than our training. Yes, those videos can be super corny, but they make you understand and remember more, at least that's what I think. Plus, the driving part of the training seems more 'practically oriented' than ours, which is just basically 'go and try'.
The hardest part for me when I was training to drive buses getting used to the signal lights on the floor I don't know that just threw me off
Holy y’all’s training is actually in depth. Ours was 4-5 weeks. Depending on the license you held. We were driving the following the day we started….. never drove a bus transit before.
@@EhCanadianater yeah. This seemed in depth. I walked into my agency with a commercial learners permit as required on Monday. We drove the bus around the yard on Wednesday, and were driving on city streets that Saturday. We only had four days of coach practice before we had our CDL exam. It was intense.
Stressful, especially if you add Trolley bus to the roster of skills required. Super rewarding when all those skills come together and you achieve some level of harmony with the machine
If its a gillig style trolley its not that bad. But if you mean like a cutaway on a Freightliner or something chassis.. different story
I was thinking buses on power lines like San Francisco or Seattle.
Trolley Buses are awesome. I couldn’t see driving them right after getting your CDL, but I started driving them five months after I got my CDL and they’re awesome. Frustrating as hell at first, but then getting it right is awesome.
For pace, we also did 2 weeks of class training, including 3 tests in which your required to pass with 80% average, on top of that, they where strict in that you had to show up on time every day, and you where required to be awake the whole time. yes we had to watch that metro square your turn video. we had to watch so many other videos. too. we also had to do 40 hours of drive time before we could take our CDL driving test. this included skills training and also route learning. finally we had 4 to 6 weeks of line training with a operator.
It crazy I see this message i just got my offer letter with them I just did my dot physical I’m waiting for the safety and training manager to call me back it been a week now.
@@limitedbreezy7730 which garage are you going to?
@@Aliceintraining southwest garage
@@limitedbreezy7730 Good luck with it, for me, I am at NW
Thanks for this video. I use transit everyday here in Miami, mostly buses, and I am always fascinated by bus operators and the work they do everyday. I'm so appreciatitve. 😊
Thank you for watching and acknowledging the hard work that goes into this! I gotta visit Miami one day!! I’m jealous that they were just filming the new bad boys movie with Will and Martin on location! Must be nice!
I hated the dreaded parallel park. Almost messed it up on my road test and they give you ONE try (with 3 times you can step out of the bus to check your trajectory). 50 foot backing and offset backing was by far the easiest.
Much respect for you folks who went through this training and drive our buses. I prefer to stay in the back and enjoy the ride.
Comparing with my country, the "Bus driving bootcamp" looks like when we get the (ordinary) drivers licence to drive a bus. Then after that, there is a 140 hour class of laws and regulations to get the "CDL" on top of that, and finaly you add on the company training and line training.
I’m in Atlanta with MARTA I’m currently on my 4th of 7 week of training and starting my line training next week! I’m really excited about that tbh!
@@Djmeekz30 what's up brother what garage u work out of ? I'm in training now for Marta week 4 about to see the state for final exam
@@Dean-bs9kp you at piedmont for the test right?
@@Djmeekz30 yea that's correct, Lithonia Marbut rd
@@Dean-bs9kphow’d your test go?
@@Djmeekz30 easy my examiner was cool. I passed
That first clip was produced by the transit district I work for 😅. Yes, training for city transit can be kinda stressful. We got very good training where I work.
I think the thing people need to know is the fact that city bus operating is a completely different animal from most other career paths. The training is intense, but getting out there on your own for the first time is even more intense. In my opinion, a *lot* of people come to this profession unprepared for the realities of what we face everyday, which is why the attrition rate is so high in this industry. It takes people who have a lot of grit. Personally, I love this job, and would recommend to *anyone,* except that not just anyone can do what we do. You have to be a person who can let things roll off you and not take it personally. As I’ve stated in comments I’ve made in some of your other videos, a bus operator has to be able to keep the main thing the main thing by realizing you’re out there getting paid by the minute. Now you can either work hard and get stressed out for that pay, or you can take it like an Ex-lax, chill, and make that money the easy way. I prefer making my money the easy way. I get paid by the minute no matter what happens, and that’s what keeps me coming back everyday. Follow the rules, be nice to people, and let things sliiiiide…. And then get paid… and then buy yaself a nice car… go shopping and get you some nice threads, and go on nice vacations… and on your off time, strut around like you got this life by the *balls!* 😅
Great points made here! I completely agree! I talk about fare disputes on this channel because it’s interesting and entertaining but I always make a point to..like you said…let it slide! It’s not worth arguing over! People should pay and have a seat..but also..I’m not fighting over it if they don’t! lol
I just started driving a City Bus 6 months ago and you are on point 🎯
My training with Disney was like 6 weeks. First half was classroom and road training with CDL testing. Second half was location training. First half of the second portion was learning how to get around all the resorts. Second half was actually working out of all the “hubs” (all the theme parks and Disney Springs) with guests onboard with an assessment if you comprehend what you learned if you can satisfactorily drive unaccompanied.
This all sounds so similar to what I went through during my first round of training with that of my current railroad company and the battery of both classroom/hands on and later, on the job training to be not only company certified by overall FRA qualified/licensed. The rules we learned were sort of similar to all of those mentioned here, but a lot more intense with things such as NORAC/GCOR, Class One (basically our version of pretrip) train inspections and airbrake tests, hand signals, blue flag protection and a lot more.
As a visually impaired passenger who is actually blind, I appreciate how much training goes into being a bus operator, whether it is in my hometown of Toronto Ontario Canada, or wherever in the world. I know some of what drivers learn because of an audiobook I had purchased in 2018, all about obtaining the commercial drivers license. I can't find it in the iTunes Store anymore and I hope it either returns, or there will be another book like this coming soon.
Oh wow that’s awesome! I appreciate your kind words and for checking out this video!
@@BusDriverLife you're welcome and keep up the great work on the videos.
This is a good way to recruit. Back in the dark ages when I started, at age 18, in 1972, I first drove a hotel shuttle bus (cutaway). I then graduated to a school bus. you had to be 25 years old to go to Greyhound, and when I got to 25, they were only hiring for SamTrans. I wanted to go on the road, and do charter trips, and line service. So I did with a fallen flag called LTR. After 28 years of that, I went to SacRT, and did 20 there.
Keywan. A great ambassador for the bus business. You and James Wang at Peoria Charters should get together and eat. I’m sure you both would have some entertaining stories.
I appreciate that! James and I will definitely get together sometime soon! He’s a class act!!
I am just starting to do this, and just get an interview is a big process just to get that far and I'm praying that I do because it's been a goal of mine since I was 10. I'm 42 so just keep praying but that helped a lot. And yes, no matter how stressful the training may be, I'm still looking forward to being a bus driver a transit operator. Thank you for the video
A thorough pre-trip takes 30 minutes. However, we only get 10 minutes to pre-trip our bus before leaving the garage. When I questioned this in training, I was told that 10 minutes is you get paid for.
Very interesting video. I'm a bus and motorcoach driver in Australia and would absolutely love to have the opportunity to drive buses in the United States one day.
Nice! I’d love to visit Australia and check out the public transport as well as everything else!
I just passed training and I’m so glad that we don’t ever have to do a pre trip and alley backup ever again 😂 We just do a pre-service to make sure everything is in line, and our mechanics take care of the rest.
@@philthethrill16 yea the alley drill was brutal
At my transit agency, I like to poke my head in the training room, look really frightened and say "flee while you still can!"
😂😂
The only thing I’m scared about is that walk around pre trip that is a lot of information to remember
It is a lot of information but..just come up with a pattern! Do it the exact same way each time when you study! Get into a rhythm almost like a song. You will get it!
@@BusDriverLife thank you sir.
I'm in the process of trying to be a bus driver, too; and stuff like this makes me worry... but that's the problem. It's all overwhelming, because we are talking about a huge responsibility driving a tank around with people's lives in our hands.... but, think about how many things in life we over-thought, causing ourself unnecessary anxiety only to accomplish it... We got this! I also think about how many people are bus drivers. If they can do it, so can we! I just know that I am going to rely on study methods that I know work for me. For example, I absorb and remember information for better if I write it down. So even if I was not to write it down as it was happening anything that I could take video of I would go through the video and write it down in study notes. And I think it was excellent advice to stick to an organized routine. Not only does it make it easier to remember, but helps with preventing risk of forgetting steps.
Thanks for including link transit in your latest video. I just went to work for them and I had to do that exact thing.
No problem!!
Here in Rochester NY at Rgrta or RTS, I started as a bus washer already with my CDL( Class A with passenger Endorsement) in 2021. 5 months later i became a bus driver. Consist of 1.5 ride along(Route learning), 5 weeks of driving that includes
1. turning techniques,
2. road adaptations, like road conditions from weather, knowing what a hazards and when hazards can occur
3. transit center drive through to know gate assignments and how to pull in and pull out
4. pre trips and post trips
5. More route learning
6. Farebox
7. Bus stop approaching and leaving
After completing driving instruction time depending if you have your license, you get 1 or 2 weeks of mentoring. Basically the beginning of really learning the job. After completing that. You a bus driver.
I love busses. great channel
Thank you!!
Future bus operator here🙏🏽
Nice!!
Letssss goooooooo
All the best of luck.
@@devantebisasor7277 how did it go?
I got my bus licence in Australia back in 1978 through a driving school. I drove trucks and coaches there all my working life before moving to the UK. My Australian licence for a commercial vehicle was not valid in the UK, which meant I had to do another driving test. In both countries, I never had any specific ' air brake' testing or exam to complete.
Heyyyyy! We at CapMetro are included in your video! I knew you liked us lol 😂😂😂
🤣
@@BusDriverLife Hey great video as always my dude! New Bus Driver Skit should be up in my channel Friday!
In Switzerland we also use airbrakes, but we don't do all this stuff, honestly, especially not the pumping with the foot on the brake until it's just about empty just to see if the emergency break comes on. :) We do a pre-check for sure, but to test if the brakes work properly, we leave the depot, make a full (rather harsh) stop in the yard in front of the depot, and that's enough for a brake test (Bremsprobe we call it here). Also, there is no reciting like it's done in your video, we do explain, but not talk for minutes without a break. :)
Airbreak test is more thorough and can predict better what will happen. Aggressive stoppage, doesn’t actually show that the bus is having compression issues.
1:32 That's Pittsburgh!!! Roads are crazy out there!!!
If everything goes well, I should be starting CDL Class A on April 1st.
It took me 3 tries to get my permit.
Nice!! And 3 tries is fine..you got it! That’s all that counts!!
I have my class a cdl. Been driving semi's now for 7 years. 6 of those years was OTR. I do yard spotter/shuttle work now. I have no interest in driving a bus, but I am interested in what the process is like. I know you sit far forward of the steers so that might take a little getting used to. I live in Chicago and I definitely wouldn't want to be a bus driver here. Great video man.
Thanks man! I love the city of Chicago but I definitely wouldn’t want to drive a bus through some of those neighborhoods. As for sitting in front of the steer tires..it definitely took a minute to get used to especially coming from conventional school buses. Thank you for watching!
The fun thing about sitting forward of the steers, is that when you’ve turned the steering wheel to the stops, you go to the side first. It’s kinda awesome, and something I notice less and less now, but was really aware of when I started.
In NYC one of the requirements is either a CDL, class A or B or Motor Vehicle License with Commercial Permit and it's got to be within 3 years and also if you got the Permit MTA wll help you get the CDL for no charge.
Nice work❤️
It’s all about using the mirrors when driving a bus that and distance, the rest is just noise from the riding public
I'm considering being a suburban bus driver here in Chicagoland (what up fellow Chiraq burbs residents?), but there's a small problem. My adoptive parents, who I still live with cuz times be tight, find it declasse to be a commercial driver of ANY kind; bus, truck, whatever. They got respect (ostensibly) for drivers, but they don't want ME being one.
If it’s something you like to do and can do well, do it.
I’ve got a bachelor’s degree, am fairly tech savvy, but I sucked at those jobs. I really like driving the bus, and it pays well.
Cap metro representing.
this video brings back a lot of memories from last year. there are few things as nervewracking as when a very tall man grabs the steering wheel to correct you while you're driving 😭. 15 mph never feels faster than when you're learning to drive a bus
😂😂😂
Not a bus driver or ever thought of being one, but every time I would go to school/work and back, I kept thinking that there must be a lot of skill in manoeuvering a large piece of machinery like this - and also that no transit system would just trust someone with a couple hundred thousand dollar vehicle unless they were trained very well...
Most of those vehicles are around a million dollars a piece if not more.
There is a lot of skill, but once you know what you’re doing it gets pretty doable.
10:45 ah that GILLIG Start up with the beeps music to my ears 🥴
Same here it's music to my ears also
After about 1 year nobody pre trips there bus like that most drivers just give a quick walk around and look for damage
Just got hired, I got training on June 10th. I’m excited and nervous specially since I been watching ur videos. Thank you for doing this for peeps that want to do this job.
I’m starting this week , how is going for you so far could you please let me know.? I’m going to be a city bus operator
I've been a bus driver for 11 months. I drove that exact bus you featured in the parallel parking segment, that was my trainer Dawson for Link Transit in Wenatchee Washington. We even watched some of your videos in our training 😂
My girlfriend watched this with me, she remembers how intense the training was and all the studying for that pre-trip 😅
Thank you for the great videos!
His videos helped me understand the concept of being a bus operator in my own city
I’m in training now in Florida and yes all the information is too much but I’m all in I have a cdl class A but I need a pension . I’m driving the bus tomorrow for the first time wish me luck I drive a semi this should be cake
How did it go?
You forgot to mention the Smith System anybody go for a driving job always watches that
Nowadays they wanna preach LLLC... it seems its been that way since as keywan said DOT changed the education requirements
Oh yeah.
Look around
Look ahead
Leave room
Communicate 😊
1:29 We got lots of crazy hills in Pittsburgh.
Once again great film my friend! Trained and drove transit buses in the 90s, training was similar although probably somewhat different, I drive a large bucket truck now and learned a lot from my bus training, a difficult High responsible job for sure
was hired on by my city on the 22nd of july and was released to my own route (late night) 6 days later.... helped that i had 3 years experience driving highway coach for a private company... dealing with the general public was the challenge...
it´s nice to compare that with my education in Germany 25 Years ago. 👍
I was stepping out of trucking cause I needed to be local and had no luck with finding a job, so I applied for the transit in my area. After them ppl I'm in told me the starting pay was 18...I felt so depressed cause it was too low. Plus, the schedule and dealing with the public in that area wasn't worth it along with other things. I found your channel and binge watched you and started feeling better about it. I was mentally preparing myself. Then, I was offered a local trucking job 😅. But I will continue to watch your vids, I enjoy them.
He even makes me want to drive a a bus. And I have no business doing that.
@@bend8353 🤣🤣🤣
Thank you for still watching!!
I was in the same position wanted to get out of trucking and into something that will guarantee me steady hours and daily home, however where I live to drive a City bus paid significantly more than Local CDL Trucking Job so now I'm a Bus Driver for the last 6 months it's definitely not as easy as Truck Drivers seem to think it would be it will keep you on your toes and requires FULL attention 100% of the time I can say that I come home more exsausted than I did as a Local Truck Driver
@Balkan4eva oh wow, yea that turn radius look like something else.
Is that gizmo at your busses front for transporting bicycles?
If yes: great service - I never saw such a device in Germun city busses.
EX OTR truck driver for 23 years, then school bus driver for 2 years, plus at weekends a brakeman on a passenger train (federal certification) for 2 years. I found it interesting, for got how much there is to learn
I learned how to drive in a bus at 14 years old. It was a bit nervous, but now I enjoy driving retired transit buses around the city
Very informative!!
Oh how I remember those training days RETIRED BUS 🚍 OPERATOR from Flatbush Depot Brooklyn Miss B41 Flatbush Avenue line 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
@@anitafranklin8856 Well hope you’re enjoying your retirement!! Thank you for your service!
That is how it is here in IL except operators must recert every 3 to 5 years (depending on agency), sooner if they get a major violation regardless of vehicle the violation occurs in (transit or personal). Operators also do "hand off" inspections when taking a bus from another operator (this catch stuff that failed after the pre-trip inspection - usually a result of vandalism).
Great Video
After driving semis for 5 years, I’m making a transition to driving buses for metro. I’m pretty excited, although i will miss the trucking life. Trucker at ❤️
I’m in class to get my cdl b. My permit has school bus and passenger endorsement. I’m training on a box truck but they also teach me bus stuff too.
I remember parallel parking a H45 in New York City while surrounded by bus drivers on break…. You can go from king to the current town fool depending on how you do…. lol
Good Video.
Are there any more, maybe a series ?
I am looking into MTS San Diego at 60.
I'm in traning now in Baltimore Maryland and I'm just getting to the know the bus portion. Im terrified and excited at the same time
5:53 Link Transit Gillig Advantage/Low Floor Coach 309 from Wenatchee, Washington.
That parallel parking just watch that middle cone
This was a great great video! HE AUNT LYIN!😂😂
I appreciate bus drivers because public transportation is an absolute necessity in a city. In fact, we need more of it. I also know that other road users make mistakes around buses that are out of the bus driver's control. That being said, I wish part of bus driver training included being on the road as a bicyclist and having a bus approach you from behind and pass only inches from you and continue to drive down the bike lane. That way, if they see what that's like on a personal level, they might be less likely to do it to someone else. I've experienced bus drivers do this to me many times. Just the other day, a tour bus approached me from behind and passed so close that I didn't even have to fully extend my arm to touch the bus. It scared the shit out of me and could have killed me if I had hit a pothole, wobbled, or if the bus driver needed to move even further to the right to avoid something on their left.
Thanks for the great video. I’m currently in the hiring process and am excited to start training.
Do you have any recommendations for succeeding in training and getting the most out of it?
Just devote most of your time during training to studying and memorizing so you can pass the exams. They want/need you to pass the training process..but you must invest the time. You will be fine if you do that and remember training is only temporary!
Please do more driving instructional videos.
lol I remember about 28 years ago, when I hired on at the time to US Xpress , a good company back then.
In our “Disorientation” class our instructor had to take a break due to some office task. So he told us to NOT OBEY ANYTHING WE SEE ON THE “safety” video…Cops scariest chases volume 2😂 specifically don’t take an M-60 army tank and rampage through the neighborhood. Definitely don’t do that😂😂😂😂
I called it Disorientation because anytime a student has more questions about the job AFTER it’s over than before they started basically means one is disoriented 😂
Hmm, the first thing is that you have to know where your wheeles are, then you have to know how far back the end of the bus are, the third thing you have to know how far in front you kan drive before youre front wheeles hit the curb or as in norway, the drop comes, lol.
they make me do the serpentine in reverse yesterday ., and had to be at the first try without getting out of the bus with a motorcoach and no moving forward any time but drive me crazy is the pre trip
I used to drive a tour bus driver doing a city tour in nyc is hardest part so many tide street narrow lane.after drive a year you are ok almost everywhere
Have you ever drove a double decker bus yet? Also the extended version.
Wow, what a difference between countries? In Melbourne, Australia, you can get your licence within 5 hours, then fill out some forms to get a WWC (Working with Children's, check) and then drivers accreditation. Once all the paperwork is done and you get a job, you're lucky if you spend a week in the classroom then you're out picking up passengers with a senior driver just to learn the routes. Then you're on your own to figure out the rest by yourself. Your systems seem much better to me.
You should definitely be a trainer bro 💯💯
My uncle is training new NYC transit bus workers.
Im very close to getting my class b cdl. I just need to do my test at my dps. Im very confident that i can pass though.
I’ve been watching your videos preparing myself for a job interview I have on Thursday, applied for OCTA any tips you bus drivers out there ? 😊
I am considering applying to drive for the city. I have experience driving 15 passenger van and my car but not the size of the bus. I know the city access van is slightly smaller and has an opening also. Was it the same training for both where you trained? Your video help me be more comfortable knowing there will be plenty of training Thank you.
The funniest thing about behind the wheel training that I have experienced is when you’re out on the road practicing routes and people think that it’s the bus that they need. And then they flag you down as you passed them, all the while the top of your bus says “driver training“ or “Training bus”
Yes I’ve had that happen too!
Come to vancouver and drive a Trolley. 6 week class. Spend an hour or 2 driving through the bus yard 1 day. Then revenue and drive training out in the real world. No cone work to warm up, just get out there. 1 city block of Trolley line is a million dollar repair. Run 1 red light double your 675 hour probation. Close a door on a person, redo training and double probation if you don't get fired.
I know we’re talking about public busses but I was a hair away from messing up on skills because of roll back but I passed and I’m happy now what I want to get is my air brakes endorsement
For a California SBD certificate examination given by the CHP, you have to successfully back around a curve to the right and be within 12 inches of the curb; no parallel parking is required. The advice that I give rookie SB driver is: “Protect your right.”
Right side is so important!! I have heard the SBD certification can be more challenging than what the transit drivers go through.
Gezzz I do not miss the training process 😅
Can you please make more videos like this one? I wish that there was a video like Frontier Airlines' "Flight Attendant School" that you can watch where they have different episodes where people beginning to become a flight attendant are introduced to the class and then they go through each step of the process until they graduate. I wish there was something like that but it would take people through the steps they would go through from learning to becoming a bus driver for both fixed route and paratransit to light rail to commuter rail such as the UTA FrontRunner?
That guy in the red shirt in the training video is a paid actor
He played the reporter in the Denzel Washington, Chris Pine movie. "Unstoppable" about a runaway train.
BTW, is that a new mic?
I didn’t realize he was in that movie..I need to go back and watch it! It’s the same rode mic with the handheld mic adapter. I get a cleaner sound in my opinion.
@BusDriverLife
Sounds good to me.
BTW, you noticed the air brake test in that Flyer was different from the way we do it?
The engine was off the entire time and when the brake popped, then she started the engine for the build up.
E-tran buses are like that.
They're crazy different.