"It's not unusual to find drivers who have been working here 15, 25 or even 30 years." That would be the last GOOD era of drivers who care. I'm one of the few young people who would give a rats about a driving career since its been watered down. My dad drove trucks for the Army then raised his family by driving city buses for 28 years. He was treated fairly and now is comfy with retirement. Most in part due to the Union he was under but the new drivers could forget that lol.

But I hope the drivers who have committed all those years of service and put up with that 15, 25 or even 35 years of crap, all have their pay scale properly adjusted so new drivers wont be making a penny less then a senior employee.

METRO was starting drivers at $11.85/hour a year ago. Now its $15.00!!! That's pretty desperate, I guess outsourcing some private company and paying "finder fees" all added up huh? And First Transit IS NOT the way to go.

This is great on METROs part and it will force these other companies to raise their base pay to keep drivers. METRO serves as a flagship for what area companies pay their bus drivers. METRO has benefits (though crappy) that eclipse other companies. So this is a VERY attractive way to employ and "KEEP" drivers.

This will also force those horrible driver (like little ms cell phone chatter on the 87 #3317) to hit the road. Don't waste time ridding METRO of these horrible drivers and employ those who want a career.

BUTTTTTT----

No HS Diploma or GED--- BEFORE --- employment is ridiculous and I am appalled that METRO would ignore such. This is going to make for a bad future for drivers. How will the employee pass the DPS test if they can barely read? You have to be able to think critically while driving. You learn a lot of these basic skills in school. I also think METRO should not hire the driver until they have the proper licensing to drive.

METRO should provide a "paid" course to allow a prospect to drive but not hire them, THEN help then obtain a license.

What happens to the drivers who continually flunk the DPS exams? Will METRO recover the funds put into these drivers?

"C" there is a paid training time which allows one to successfully obtain licensure.  

The High School diploma and/or GED was dropped, as i heard through the chatter at METRO was to attract ther races....(besides afro-americans).  I also agree it should not have.  it was also not dropped, just suspended and one must obtain it within a year....but with everything else,  they change the written material around here so quickly.  

and yes, there was a time when "WE" veteran operators were treated with dignity and fairness, but those days are gone.  SEEMS LIKE LOCAL 260 and METRO are working hand in hand together on eliminating "US"!!!   and if this is the case, i am not surprised!

Ccheck out my comment in the blog about safety about four threads ahead of this one I talk about the "DIGNITY" we used to have!!!

P.S. its the keeping our streets safe thread.

If an op has been here 30 years, they survived, not the island, but HouTran!

They survived METRO YOU MEAN!!!

LET'S SEE IF THIKS WILL WORK....HERE IS THEIR OWN REQUIREMENTS AS OF 2/07/2008 READ IT AND IT WILL SPEAK FOR ITSELF!!

http://blogs.ridemetro.org/blogs/write_on/archive/2008/02/07/Looking-for-Some-Good-Women-and-Men.aspx

I GUESS THE HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA IS NO LONGER NEEDED AT ALL!!!  AND THE NEED TO READ, SPEAK, AND WRITE ENGLISH AT THE 9TH GRADE LEVEL.  

AT LAST I HEARD FROM AN APPLICANT, THERE IS NO EQUIVILANCY EXAM, JUST METRO'S OWN BUS DRIVER TEST.

My thing is hiring someone who doesnt already have a proper license to drive a bus. I can see hiring someone that already has a CDL and just needs the "P". But dont waste money on someone who may quit after getting the license. Make them pay, get the little paper at minium... THEN hire them.

And then you have these immigrants coming over who grew up with bad driving habits. Thats part of the problem in Houston now. And METRO is making it a bit too easy by hiring just any pinhead.

You have to take a test to spray air freshener for Harris County.

METRO is making a huge mistake here by relaxing the hiring rules.

Hiring someone that already has a CDL is ok.... But then you have to flush their heads out to remove "Dump Truck" driving habits.

It is much easier to get someone without experience and train them in the correct manner to be a METRO bus operator than it is to flush,train,flush,train.

Again.....Yes there are some crappy bus operators out there we know them by following or observing their crappy driving. But we need everyones help in weeding them out.. To see an idiot behind the wheel is terrible, to not call with the bus number and the time is only postponing the inevitable.

If you see me driving like a moron, please call it in. I'm easy to spot, just look for the fat,old,ugly guy behind the wheel...

wi11ie

No, I did mean HouTran!

I want to apply for Metro Visionary in Chief. Where do I apply for that job?

dominic, rapid transit and houtran was no problem ...other than poor maint. and no air and power steering.

now we have a GOLIATH o f problems!!