bus driver

mechanic

senior mechanic

senior human resources associate

senior attorney

AC Transit

I learned how to take complete command of a bus,it's schedule and line and work it down to the minute,actually fraction of a minute. I learned to combine driving with close contact with the public,cash handling and customer service queries. I learned how to manuever buses as short as 35' to 60 feet in length as easily as I can manuever a car. The manueverability is really the best part of the job-hands down. (^5 on the training you won't find better). A typical day on the job can vary. It gets rough out there because we are dealing with people that come from all walks of life and come with their own pre-conceived notions of who everyone else should be. My co-workers are ok. Most of them grew up in the same area and as a result tend to stick with those with whom they grew up with. The most enjoyable part of this job as I stated earlier has to be driving the different vehicles that the company has to offer.

You have all control of what your experience will be(especially dealing with the public). If you can’t drive safely this isn’t the job for you. If you’re not a humbled people person, this isn’t the job for you. If you’re not a reliable person, this isn’t the job for you. Customer Service is important towards your public experience. You have to be flexible too. AC Transit the company itself is bad. The people in position do not know how to run this company and I wouldn’t be surprised if they ran it in to the ground. The company give out a “dont care” mentality towards the employees and public. Schedule times are unrealistic, making breaks(layovers) obsolete. Endless OT, good pay. You can easily clear 6 figures but you will be working for it. Recently a specific fleet of coaches are being removed from service which is making the overall fleet better. Overall if you’re looking for a great career job that you can obtain great benefits and a retirement I recommend it. As long as you can do the job. Get vested and clear on out. 

After nearly 4 months with AC Transit as their new Planning Manager with good reviews and hard work they told me I was being terminated and escorted me out of the building right then. I asked "why?" and they refused to give me a reason, said they didn't have to give a reason. I know of 3 other people they dismissed this way, one nearly had a heart attack from the shock and sued them. Others were people just doing their jobs and got escorted out. This practice is cruel and damaging for individuals and the organization. How can people improve if no one tells them what they need to change ?  How can AC Transit improve their employee relations if they don't get feedback from their employees?

This agency operates with 20 year old management styles, draconian and cruel. The pay and benefits are great if you can stand to be treated this way.

AC Transit has thrown its drivers under the bus during the COVID-19 pandemic. They offer no support, they are not effectively cleaning the buses, they are suppressing the true number of infections, and they are lying to the public about their safety protocols.

Management is flat-out useless other than for writing people up for no good reason. And they showed their true colors when they held off on contract negotiations and allowed our contract to expire, until the pandemic started and they used it as an excuse to reject our proposals.

I feel a sense of pride serving my community and getting people where they need to go safely. But management really should be in jail for their failure to the community and its employees.

There are some departments with happy employees due to management. However, for the most part, managers are usually clashing with unions which makes a simple job much harder due to extreme personality, socioeconomic, and subcultural values. Nepotism is rampant for a public agency. Training is poor since several clerks left within a year. I was the 6th clerk in that division in 2012, but I managed to clean up the 5-year backlog in the HR fileroom and 8-year backlog at EEO as well as act as liaison for multiple departments. Managers have a closed door policy since they have too many lawsuits from current and former employees.

When I first started it was challenging, we were put on a 45 foot bus second day of driving, it was a good thing as i look back, we had no time for fear, we had to be confident on what we where embarking upon. Pay was horrible 7.50 hour for 6 weeks having to small children it was a challenge.Very diverse work place meeting every type of human possible. My glass started out with about 20 people and we lost about 5 before it was over. The best part for me was connecting with the classmates as we would meet monthly after training to catch up as we split to different cities for our assignments. I to this day have one friend that we still are in contact i consider her my mom. I enjoyed learning how to become a professional transit operator and conquering my fear of driving 60 foot buses across bay bridge.

AC Transit is an excellent company to work for. Training is wonderful, you will be prepared and ready to drive the various buses at your disposal. You will learn patience and how best to exercise your customer service skills. Driving a bus requires paying attention and being focused as many things revolves around you. The folks you train with will probably be your closest friends and sources of support. Most co-workers are very friendly, some you want to stay away from. Depending on your route, you may find dealing with some passengers to be a bit on the difficult side. Completing your shift and the satisfaction of a job well done is the best part of the day.

My days at work are extremely busy. Customer contact levels are high. I have learned how to manage my route and schedule to the minute,load and unload passengers efficiently,handle fare transactions accurately,and maneuver through dense traffic. I have learned to operate all the vehicles that the company has made available to transport passengers. My co-workers are okay. They all grew up in the same area,so they pretty much run together. The hardest part of the job is doing everything in my power to keep my schedule on time,only to have the schedule delayed. The most enjoyable part of the job is driving the vehicles that range in length from 35'-60' in length.

My typical day of work entails accident and incident investigations, writing multiple reports and interacting with AC Transit employees and the general public. I also interact with law enforcement, medical personnel and construction crews when needed.
I have learned to be more patient with people because not everyone communicate the same way and to be more transparent with job that I am doing with others.
Management is open to constructive input and thoughts and the hardest part of my day is when I can't resolve an issue to help someone. 
The most enjoyable part of my job is when I'm able to accomplish a task and put a smile on someone's face

AC Transit has solid benefits and steady work, but when it comes to advancement, be prepared for a long, discouraging process. It’s not always about how hard you work or how much you care—it’s about navigating a system that often favors familiarity over fresh perspective.
Even when you’re qualified, passionate, and prepared, you may still be overlooked—not because you can’t do the job, but because they don’t always make room for voices that think differently or lead from the heart.
If you’re someone with vision, empathy, and leadership potential, just know: this environment may not recognize that right away. And sometimes, they never do.


Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Bus driver 2 salaries reported	$32.46 per hour
Mechanic 4 salaries reported	$45.60 per hour
Senior mechanic 4 salaries reported	$46.37 per hour
Senior human resources associate 1 salary reported	$8,757 per month
Senior attorney 3 salaries reported	$201,549 per year

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