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Bus Driver Blues

wanderer03

wanderer03

Well-Known Member
For those of you that have been following my saga of becoming a Bus Driver and finally getting a position that was perfect for me, I'm now singing the Bus Driver Blues. On Wednesday of this past week, the contract that I was driving for was lost. The company that paid for a shuttle between the train station and their corporate office cancelled their service because not enough people were using it. To top that off, a new Vice President was hired and he subsequently nixed all funds for training in the transit division, so I cannot learn any new routes to potentially fill in as substitute driver.

I was offered a chance to drive in the school bus division but I couldn't handle the stress of dealing with unsupervised kids. I was also offered a chance to work in the paratransit divison working with folks in wheel chairs and the disabled elderly. Again, I'm not cut from the right kind of cloth to work with that demographic. So, my boss is going to try to get me into training for the motorcoach division. Part of getting accepted into that training is a JOBehaviors test. Normally, these tests are a breeze - just give them what they want to hear. This one was not so simple. You had a choice between two answers and each answer was perfectly valid for a given situation. I fear I did not get an acceptable score because it's been several days and I've heard nothing.

If I quit my job, I have to reimburse the company for the training they gave to add the requisite passenger endorsement to my commercial driver's license. The company won't lay me off because they know that at the end of February, they're going to get busy again. I haven't worked enough to get unemployment. I've asked my company for permission to drive for a limousine company but they said no because it was a direct competitor. What can I do?
 
Look for other (odd) jobs that are not competitors and take almost anything. Try craigslist (only meet people during the day in public places) and Indeed?
 
I am hoping they get back to you finally, with GOOD news regarding your test!
Regarding the ADA paratransit clients... I'm one of 'em. :D You might find that work easier than some other types, as driving to the same clinics is predictable, and the people are generally not all that rowdy. Just a consideration.
 
Warmheart said:
I am hoping they get back to you finally, with GOOD news regarding your test!
Regarding the ADA paratransit clients... I'm one of 'em. :D You might find that work easier than some other types, as driving to the same clinics is predictable, and the people are generally not all that rowdy. Just a consideration.
Click to expand...

Thank you, Warmheart. Your perspective was very important for me to hear. Perhaps, I would be better at it because I'm disabled and can be more compassionate. I am going to give Paratransit a go to fill in until Transit picks up again. The more I think about it, the less I want to drive a motorcoach.
 
Yes! Paratransit buses are smaller, easier to maneuver. Plus, you absolutely will get your fair share of quiet, happy, nervous little autistics, like moi. :D The elderly will ride too, and some wheelchair users, plus an occasional service dog. Very rarely, an assistant will ride along. Paratransit rides are generally expected to be nice calm experiences. You may get a few happy chatterboxes though, some disabled people have great exploits to share! ;)

Another neat thing is paratransit drivers park in quiet cul-de-sacs in between drives and eat snacks from their lunch bags, 'cos nobody is watching them. :D I can tell cos the driver takes my money with Cheeto-orange fingers! :p
 
Today I got bad newss, there just is no work for me - not even in the paratransit division. I was told the bus company has too many employees. How can I be employed and have no work?
 
Any chance that in the meantime, you can work with this bus company in another department (temporarily)?
Helping the paratransit passengers by phone to book their rides
In the mechanic garage
Or any other position in the offices for now, until a driver spot opens up? (They always do.... plus, you can be asked to fill in for a driver who's on vacation now and again)
 
wanderer03 said:
Today I got bad newss, there just is no work for me - not even in the paratransit division. I was told the bus company has too many employees. How can I be employed and have no work?
Click to expand...

>I've asked my company for permission to drive for a limousine company but they said no because it was a direct competitor. What can I do?




Wait, they're 'employing' you but not paying you while also not allowing you to work for a competitor ?

I understand that contracts are typically written by non-profit attorneys who's sole purpose in life is to help people, but per your contract how long can said company claim to 'employ' you and execute their rights on a contractual non competition clause while still not paying you / offering you work ? This time period (albeit unfair) has to be spelled out somewhere in your 37 page employment contract........
 
I don't how this happened but I managed two full weeks of work and now the schedule for next week is a big blank. Oh well, as they say, one thing at a time. Today I had my first "run-in" with a passenger who brought her screaming unruly kids aboard. I couldn't hear the dinger or the other passenger's stop requests. It really grated at my last nerve so I pulled over, activated the dash cam and politely asked the mother to have her children sit down quietly. She started accusing me of, get this, racism. I'm an impoverished autistic .... if anything, I have far less hatred in my heart than many, if not most. She went and called my boss. She claimed that I was being unprofessional. So I had the "almost" unpleasant conversation with the boss. Of course, the boss starts out blaming me. I told the boss to bring it up on video. That changed everything .... almost.

Why is it that I'm still wrong in the eyes of the company even though the video exonerates me. I actually got written up and I'm feeling mad as a hornet and stressed. I'm going to HR and challenging this as it is not fair. I played by the rules and was polite but firm, the video shows that I handled it well but yet I'm still wrong!? No, just no.
 
From what I can read here, you did the right thing. The safety of the other passengers required you to be able to focus and hear the signals. You had to prioritize the safety of the passengers. You were wise to have the video camera on before addressing her. I am so sorry this is even being made an issue of.

You have video proof, and time to wait until this is resolved. Keeping a cool head hopefully will help you through this. I have seen drivers stop the bus, and walk back and address the child about how to ride a bus, and about the safety of all. I know you are new, but you did the best you could. I'm hoping this turns out well!
 
Hope you get through this ok. That's why I won't work in any situation involving direct contact with the general public, because it seems there's always those angry people who make it their mission to start something even if you do nothing wrong or whatever and then it becomes a he said she said thing. I definitely don't want or need that life is too short. Hope you get it resolved. Just confirms even more to me that I need to avoid jobs that involve a lot of contact with random strangers.
 
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No, it just means you need to stand your ground. I won my little appeal with HR because I don't care whether I have it or not. I don't mind the job but I don't love it.
 
After two weeks of good solid work, no hours this week. The challenges of surviving in a neurotypical world are many.
 
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