Transit Jobs NOW!!! Coast Mountain Bus is HIRING!

Hi Superchecker
I am new here, I have question regarding the hiring process of Coast mountain bus, can you tell me some detail?

Hello! I should start out by saying that the main purpose of this thread is to inform others of opportunities that I become aware of... I got steered towards this company like 25 years ago, and am simply trying to pay it forward... I pop in here daily, and can try and asnwer whatever questions you might have....

Opportunities come and go almost daily, so you do have to be on your toes as to when it's time to apply, and for what opportunity to apply for...
Coast Mountain Bus is an operating subsidiary of Translink, and operates the majority of transit routes for Translink...
They have a head office in north Surrey-Gateway, and then seven area transit Centres as well as SeaBus in North Van....

If you are interested in DRIVING opportunities, there are two that get posted every now and then. "Conventional" means the regular full sized buses, and also means Full time-Regular status... "Community Shuttle" means the smaller van like buses, and also means Part time or even just casual employees...
The hiring proces can take months. There is a video test... a Trainablity test... a medical exam... a panel interview... etc... You MUST have a fairly clean class 5 drivers license AND the learners airbrake endorsement when you apply... Coast Mountan will train you for the proper license. "Conventional" training takes about 6 weeks or so to achieve the Class #2 license... Often around 14 trainees per class, which often start every 2 weeks.
"Community Shuttle" training is just 2 weeks and you earn a class #4 license...
Training is done out of the Vancouver-Marpole Transit Centre... Conventional Operators all start out in Vancouver, and can move to other depots as their seniority improves... We pick our shifts 4 times a year...
Community Shuttle drivers can be assigned anywhere... There are shuttle buses housed in Vancouver-Oakridge, Port Coquitlam & Surrey depots...

CMBC was accepting driver applications up until about a month ago, and is now working thru those applicants to hire approx 300 for the year, in classes of about 14 every 2 weeks...

Other opportunities you might keep an eye for to get your foot in the door include: FAREBOX ATTENDANT, CUSTOMER INFORMATION CLERK, SERVICEPERSONS, DATA ENTRY, CLERICAL RELIEF POOL and many others... Most opportunities only get posted for 5 business days, so you have to check that website regularly!!!

www.coastmountainbus.com or 604-953-3000 is the head office contact number....

Driving is NOT the only job at Transit... Lot's of other jobs behind the scenes!!!

Coast Mountain Bus is NOT the only employer... Translink, Handydart, SkyTrain, ProTransBC-Canada Line, AirCare, Transit Police, West Vancouver-Blue Buses.... West Coast Express contractors too...

Hope that was of some use....

BREAKING NEWS: COAST MOUNTAIN BUS COMPANY is once again accepting applications for COMMUNITY TRANSIT SERVICE (SHUTTLE) OPERATOR TRAINEES!!!

SHUTTLES are the smaller van like buses...

Training takes 2 weeks, and trainees earn $17.57 an hour. Wages increase every 8 months until top wage of $23.36 an hour is reached...

Most COMMUNITY TRANSIT/SHUTTLE Operators start out as Part time, or even just on a casual basis...

www.coastmountainbus.com/careers/

CMBC is also currently accepting applications INTERNALLY ONLY (WITHIN THE COMPANY) for CONVENTIONAL TRANSIT OPERATOR TRAINEES as well!

Nepotism with SkyTrain hiring practices?

THERE ARE CURRENTLY 14 (FOURTEEN) DIFFERENT JOB TITLES LISTED UNDER THE "CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES" SECTION OF www.coastmountainbus.com/careers/
including: BOTH CONVENTIONAL (FULL TIME) & COMMUNITY TRANSIT (PART TIME) OPERATOR TRAINEES, CONFIDENTIAL LABOUR RELATIONS ASSISTANT, PRE APPRENTICE MECHANICS and for an ASSISTANT MAINTENANCE MANAGER...

Hello Superchecker. Just a quick question for you. I recently applied for a bus driving position with Coast Mountain Bus Company made it through the first stage but bombed out on the panel interview.
I would dearly love to work for the company. They say I can re-apply in a year. Have you heard of other drivers who were successful after they failed in their first try?
I was very disappointed that I didn't leave a good impression during the panel interview. I was extremely nervous, as I really wanted to be successful and perhaps some of my answers on second thought were a little too passive. I hope I get another chance. Thanks.

Well Victor, all I can say is that driving is not the only opportunity at CMBC, and that CMBC is not the only employer...
Don't give up! If there are things you can do to practice/prepare for next year, then I'd suggest looking into that...
Keep an eye on those websites for a-n-y- opportunity to get your foot in the door... Maybe a FAREBOX job? Maybe a CUSTOMER INFORMATION job? Both get posted like 2 to 3 times a year...
Some people get their foot in the door with the company with one opportunity, but then move around to other opportunities as they arise...

The plan is to add 180,000 service hours in 2012. I'm not sure on what's ahead in 2013 yet???

If you happen to already have a class 2 license: West Vancouver (Blue Buses) is actively accepting applications now for "Summer 2012" opportunities... Plus with the Spring tourist season just around the corner, most charter and tour bus lines are now hiring drivers too!!!
If you happen to already have a class 4 license: "Thirdwave" school buses have been advertising all winter for part time drivers...

How do they determine where you'll drive. Upon hiring a new driver, can they basically throw you anywhere?

Hello there, I read the date of this posting and it is back in 2011. Now there is a posting for full time conventional drivers again. Got my name in this time. How many people at the panel interview? Does there ad of full time really mean full time once you have gone through the training?

Hello again!

What kinds of questions are we looking at in the video test? Any examples?

What is the video test like for the Coast Mountain bus company hiring process? Any example questions of what I could be looking at? Also how many people are in the panel interview? Are they on a whole pushy or friendly? are the pushy to weed out the weaklings? Responses would be great thank you

Mike

Hi Mike! "Conventional" means full time- regular status... Minimum 7.5 hours a day... 37.5 hours per week... SHIFT WORK! Can be split shifts too! Split shifts could mean like 3 hours during morning rush hour, off for 4 hours and then 4.5 hours in afternoon rush hour.... (This week I'm working 7am til 10:45, and then 2:00 til 6pm)
***Our buses run 24 hours a day, so your shifts could be anywhere over the spectrum!*** We have shifts that start as early as 3am, and others that finish nearly 6am the next morning (Late night "N" buses)...
Must have minimum 8 hours break between days...
"Conventional" training takes 6 weeks... 1st 3 weeks or so 1/2 of the day in the classroom- learning the pretrip inspection, airbrakes, and a huge amount of company stuff... Other 1/2 of the days out learning to drive 40 foot and then 60 foot buses... Gotta pass your road test to get your class #2 license... Wages start at $20.44 an hour in training... Everyone starts in vancouver, and then as your seniority improves, you can choose to switch out to suburban depost if you want... The 6 depots are: Vancouver-Marpole, Burnaby, North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Richmond & Surrey... Plans to build a new depot in Richmond-Hamilton (Queensborough) area, and eventually close North Van & Oakridge for good...
"Community Shuttle" means part time or even just casual employees..
Smaller, van like buses. 2 weeks training... Class #4 license... $17.57 an hour in training... Community Shuttle drivers work the whole system, Vehicles are housed/base out of Oakridge, Port Coquitlam & Surrey.
I believe the panel interview is at least 2 interviewers, maybe 3...
They are looking for people who can deal well with the wide variety of the public we serve... They also want to be able to train you to drive buses...
The process can take m-o-n-t-h-s-... Video test... Medical... Trainability... Panel interview... Police background check... etc...
They are trying to fill new training classes every 2 weeks, with approx 14 trainees per class. Sometime more, sometimes less...
Quite a few guys hired in the 70's/80's now retiring, PLUS TransLink is adding 180,000 MORE service hours by the end of 2012!

If you haven't ridden many city trolley routes, I highly recommend going out and riding some evening buses, such as the #3 Main, #8 Fraser, #20 Victoria... Watch how the drivers deal with the traffic, the overhead wires, the public...

CONVENTIONAL Operators all start out in Vancouver. Vancouver does the following routes: #2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 25, 32, 33, 41, weekend 49, 50, 84, 100...

We have 4 sign ups a year... You pick your shifts/days off in seniority order... If you graduate out of training in between sign ups, you'll be put on the "spareboard" until the next sign up/sheet change...

6u-huo.l.uV went through the video test process recently, maybe he can give you some tips?

While Coast Mountain Bus Company continues to list a variety of Career Opportunities, 12 as of this morning, they NO LONGER list either driving opportunity at this time...

Opportunities come and go almost daily! Some opportunities only get posted for 5 business days! If YOU want to get your foot in the door, you have to check back regularly, and apply, apply, apply!

They haven't listed their TRANSIT/CUSTOMER INFORMATION opportunities for a while now, so stay tuned...

So i had applied a couple times in the past and end of march finally got told i could come to do the video test.

Went and did that. it was pretty basic. you just answer the questions, in a commen sense way.

Well a week later i get told i past the test and that i was sheduled for the Panel interview.

Then 3 days before the Panel interview i get this:

Unfortunately, your panel interview that was scheduled for next ********** is cancelled.

We will not be proceeding to the interview stage at this time because we have currently filled both our Conventional Operator and our Community Shuttle Operator classes. Thank you for taking the time to test for the position of Transit Operator with CMBC.

Should there be a need for future classes, we will contact you to schedule an interview. Please note your test results will only be kept on file for 6 months.

Sigh.. a little upset.. but oh well life goes on.

Well... I don't know what to say... I know that TransLink has been exploring various paths of improved funding, and keeps getting shot down at various levels.... The new budget year kicked in April 1??? Maybe they simply don't know if they have enough $$$ to support those extra 180,000 service hours due later in 2012???

All I can say is Keep the faith!! They will need more drivers sooner or later... Not to mention, other opportunities do pop up from time to time... Farebox, Customer Information, and others...

I believe that Victoria- BC Transit was still accepting applications for Conventional Operators, as of last week anyways...

"Thirdwave" bus lines has been advertising quite a bite for permanent Part Time School Bus Drivers???

It's not the same, but Transit Police are actively recruiting new officers???

When I heard the news last week that Translink was shot down for the fare increase one of my first thoughts was "I wonder if they are going to put an end to hiring for awhile?"
Perhaps those who got as far as the training classes may have to wait a long period of time before they actually hire them to hit the road.
I am still very interested in Coast Mountain and driving and continue to check the site on a regular basis. As it looks now I may have to wait a year, maybe two or more before I get another chance.
I did read somewhere that any given year up to 200 drivers retire from the system. Whether that is true or not is another question?