bus driver

senior contract specialist

operator

performance analyst

accountant

Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)

I remained hopeful through the initial interviewing, hiring and training process until I was awaken to what lies beneath this MAGA Rapid Transit Authority's walls. 
 
 MARTA operates on a Merit system and therefore everything is based upon SENIORITY. A new hire is expected to work every weekend, major holiday, receive their daily assignments from the       "Extra Board", learn the route on your own time and in most cases work back to back shifts without being paid OT. 

  Get ready for MARTA's dispatchers which can be rude and abrasive and even though management is quick to reprimand a driver upon receipt of any complaint (valid or not valid) from a passenger, they seem un-bothered by the dispatchers behavior towards bus operators. Which leads me to believe they endorse it and in doing so the level of driver support and employee morale suffers greatly. 

  If you still want to join this giant good luck, just be prepared to get lost. Lost ALOT! At the start of each trip you'll be given their left and right sheets. The sheets are designed to guide you through dark, whining, unfamiliar streets with (the majority of the time) unclear and missing signs, post and/or markings. They expect you to ride with a driver before your route or drive these unknown routes before your shift begins but believe me if sleep is required there is no time for that. In case you missed it. There are no GPS or electronic devices to guide you, only paper directions reflecting which corner to make your left or right . Meanwhile the passengers become very fearful, disgruntle and impatient with a new driver trying to navigate their way through unknown territory while their all running late for work/school or even worst returning from the latter. It's all on you to remain safe. I hope this helped. God Bless your journey.

I am a research surveyor which means I survey Marta customers on the station platforms, trains, and buses about their experience and opinion of Marta following a script. The job is easy and relax because you don't deal with the same customers nor the same locations everyday. The only drawbacks I DO NOT like about this job is that it is contract (no benefits such as insurance and seniority), big gaps in between assignments and hours vary every week base on the need of surveys from the office of Research and Analysis. This job is mainly for a person who is retired or a college student looking for easy money. If you see this position listed, beware that you will not get 37 hours a week as it states on the application. GET a REAL JOB  with benefits and stability because you will be mad at your checks and the department. This is a foot in the door job to get to a better position within Marta or use them for experience. YOU DO NOT want to get stuck in this position 2, 3 years down the road.The management of this department is alright because I barely interact with them due to me being in the field, but they seem to be good people. Marta overall is a laid back company and many people stay with this company for years until retirement. I do encountered some strange customers such as customers arguing, talking to themselves,and one woman had a bowel movement on the train I was on and she thought it funny.It was sickening. So far, Marta is a good company to work for and develop a career.

If you hold a Bachelor's degree and you're young, look elsewhere. This company lowballs qualified individuals, doesn't appreciate them and parks them next to senior citizen/legacy employees that have no education or experience, besides decades of MARTA. The company is made of up of 90% legacy employees that don't move or advance, which makes a glass ceiling for newer employees looking to move up the corporate ladder. The company pays lower than competitors which in return steers everyone that would improve the work environment and culture elsewhere. If you have absolutely no choice, take a job here and gain some experience. If you are already on an associate level or experienced professional in transit, this will be the worst experience you will encounter. The company also does not offer benefits outside of a 401a. Rail Management does not listen to anyone's concerns and there is a huge lack of culture, in fact, underpaid employees are overworked because of a shortage of staff, which makes a toxic work environment. Lunch breaks are seen as a privilege and they are not guaranteed. Do not look for any type of promotion, or merit based recognition. Everyone is expected to apply to job openings, every blue moon when something is posted online, good luck if your manager approves you and doesn't hold you hostage due to staff shortages. On the bright side, because external candidates always turn down the company, you have somewhat of a false sense of job security. Worst transit system in the US.

A typical day at work involves a number of unnecessary meetings leaving no time to focus on the more important things. Unfortunately, I could not understand the tug of war between MARTA Management and the Union. MARTA's upper management tier can benefit heavily from an overhaul. They are not leaders and they don't know the 1st thing about leading personnel. While they preach "Servant Leadership" and "Transformational Leadership" they cannot put it into practice if you paid them. Opposed to greeting our uniformed employees and addressing a concern with tact and diplomacy, the Management team preferred to send escalated emails about the things they noticed. Also, MARTA cannot run 24 hour operations because their Management (i.e. Director and Above) refuse to come out at night to see what is going on..despite their 6 figure salaries. 

Hardest Part About This Job: Trying to understand how their Management team has survived this long and nobody has looked at them close enough to see their lack thereof. 18 year old men and women in the military have more leadership skills. If you come from an environment with structure, don't expect MARTA to help you retain it. They have no care or concern about your organizational skills, your goals, or anything else from a career growth and development perspective. Don't even think about it!

Most Enjoyable Part About This Job: The day i decided to resign and allow another employer an opportunity to see my skills put into action.

Moderately slow pace until incident occurs on railroad atmosphere then becomes face paced and stressful because of various notifications that are to be sent out to various personel and dispatched to site location. Most co-workers are team players some management supvervisors lack the ability to motivate and lead the people they supervise lack confidence in their own leadership abilities. Which effects the moral of others. The job offers a challenge to be able to think on your feet making the right quick decisions they have the least impact on service to the riding public which I loved. My work becomes my enjoyable when it present a challenge. l learned to believe in my own abilities to perform the task at hand with the training I had received to do the job and the experience I had with the skills I brought to the job. To apply that wisdom to help others do their best. To remain professional not to take anything personal. To stay focus as much as humanly possible on the companys business for the eight hours of my tour hour. The hardest part was complaining that management was not fulflling their obligation to fully develop those employees who was educated and very professional at during their jobs and to see the constant departure of these individuals leave because of the petty treatment given to them. Management lack of appreciation to acknowledge and reconize those persons who go over and beyond the call of duty.

What is the best part of working at the company?
In the beginning I felt my contribution was valued due to my knowledge in the transportation industry.  There are good people at MARTA that will share information, help you advance, and lend a hand when asked.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Everything takes so long to get reviewed, signed off and approved.  It creates unwanted stress between the Authority and its contractors.  
They have unskilled people working in positions that require oversite of quality and safety sensitive assets.  That adds more work to others to make sure everything is safe and operational. 
Constantly feeling like you have a target on your back.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
There are a lot of employees who dislike working there so they do the minimum amount of work.  That creates issues for the others that have to pick up their slack.
The Authority is severely understaffed and many people are doing several jobs with low pay. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Lots of emails, calls and face to face meetings that need addressed.  Teams meetings are constant.  Most people don't answer their phone or return calls, and take extended periods of time answer emails. 
Very frustrating for internal and external people to accomplish a task.

I have been fortunate to work on the MARTA expansion of the west line, east line, north line and south line stations  including rail and bus maintenance facilities from 1985 through 2004. Working with the Department of  Planning on Transit Oriented Development projects and with Systems Engineering were equally exciting.  Some of the highlights included  “State of the Art” System Wide -Fare Collection Upgrade and Visual Public Address System.  One of my best memories was the initiative during the 1996 Olympics where  MARTA partnered with government agencies to host the international event.

I got a great deal of enjoyment and satisfaction being the Authority’s expert in ADA. I  prepared and implemented   key station plans and all the facilities transitional plans.  This gave me the opportunity working and dealing  with Department of Justice( DOJ) Department of Transportation( DOT) and Federal Transit Authority( FTA).

 I have thoroughly enjoyed my tenure at MARTA and  I am sincerely grateful for allowing me to be an integral part of MARTA’s growth and for all these great experiences. T he person I am today is because of the support, encouragement, guidance and opportunities offered by this organization and I will always cherish that.

I worked a 10hrs shift with shift rotation every eight weeks. I arrived for duty 1hr to 1hr 30min prior to duty day in preparation for Roll Call. I supervised 15 to 18 Police Officers daily. I've learned that Law Enforcement is a para-military style duty assignment and like my military experience, we must "Lead From The Front". I have learned State and Federal Law proceeding in relation to Crimes Against Persons, Crimes Against Property and unlawful breaches of private property. Management need to be seen, and Managers need to be involved and flexable to changes and subordinates will follow. I enjoyed training and meeting new officers and worked admirably with all that i have came in contact. The hardest part of my job were officers involved incident and being tasked to investigate alleged incident; even when you knew the individual(s) character...The most enjoyable part of my job was everything, just coming to work. I knew what were pending, but unexpected events were welcoming challenges always keeping safety first. Safety of personnel and equipments...I was employed with Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority from 1993 to 2008.  I enjoyed my 15 year tenure until my retirement, and would highly recommend this organization for employment to anyone.

 If you need a paycheck for a few months, then apply. If you are young, a go-getter, smart, don't waste your time. You will think you walked into an unbelievable reality show. MARTA is a staple in the community, but its treatment of employees will not change. You will find that most employees are fine, but most supervisors, directors, and managers are unprofessional. The environment is toxic and won't change in the near future because the leaders aren't leaving and are stuck in their ways. You will find many two-faced leaders, so watch what you say. If you watch many employees who have been there for years, they do their job and go home. It's not worth the stress to do any more than that. The same jobs are posted repeatedly because they refuse to do what is needed to retain employees. It's a recruiting factory with an extraordinarily high turnover rate. The technology department is behind the times. If your computer doesn't work effectively, that's normal. Again, only come here if you need a few checks or if you are the type that can tolerate a stagnant, toxic environment. Proceed with caution.

This company can be an awesome career but when they don't follow their own policy and procedures it causes conflicts. They don't fully investigate accusations that another employee may accuse you of and employees don't know how to work as one. There's little to no protection for big bus operators while the union(ATU Local 732) is a joke especially the crooked Vice President who's been charged with several offenses. Don't believe the saying, "MARTA don't fire you, you fire yourself" because it's a complete lie; they'll fire you with no problem. Follow yor own policy MARTA and stop taking advantage of your workers while wrongfully firing your best workers.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Bus driver 5 salaries reported	$20.40 per hour
Senior contract specialist 8 salaries reported	$75,498 per year
Operator 6 salaries reported	$19.69 per hour
Performance analyst 1 salary reported	$81,500 per year
Accountant 4 salaries reported	$64,001 per year

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