bus driver

planner

human resources specialist

vehicle technician

route supervisor

Spokane Transit Authority

The training is extremely rigorous as it is 10 weeks. Good thing is they prepare you extremely well and pay for your CDL. Probation lasts 6 months and starts as soon as you're on your own as a driver, so essentially probation is 8.5 months until you're part of the union and protected. A typical day is you show up and badge in and get a printed ticket of your run # and bus # and then gather your route schedules and their intersecting schedules for passengers and go into garage and pre trip inspect your bus and get it set up for the day. You then go and drive your routes and when done you'll either get relieved by another driver at the plaza or a park and ride or pull into the garage and you're done. If you are relieved at plaza you will catch a bus back to the garage and if you are relieved from a park and ride you'll then take the road car back that the driver that relieved you drove there to meet you. The hardest part of the job really is dealing with the scheduling the first couple years and being the mask police. Once this mask mandate is over it will be a more enjoyable job. You constantly have to wear your mask and police the passengers if they are not. 90% of the time there are issues is when passengers don't comply with mask policy. Management so far is great I don't have any issues with them or the work place culture. The only complaint I have is the work schedule and dealing with unruly passengers and all the horrible and unsafe drivers that drive around you. As a new driver be prepared to have an all over the map schedule with 1-4 hour splits and 8-10 hour turn over between scheduled days and getting the worst routes. If you can grind through the first couple years you'll be pleased. You'll be forced to work holidays in those first couple years but the good thing is if you like money there is always overtime available if you want it, not mandatory though. Also the job security is great, right now they are trying to get ready for city line and electric buses. With people quitting and getting fired and the few that hire there will be no shortage of work. Getting people hired for this job can be tough since the individuals needs to have a perfect driving record, pass and drug screen and background check as well as pass the CDL test. The enjoyable part of the job is when you get confident in knowing where you're going and get comfortable with the fare box and CAD system which is what shows you where to go and where your stops are, it them becomes a breeze. Nothing beats driving a bus on a nice day with window open and sun glasses on but driving in winter in snow and ice is not pleasant and can be challenging. This is a great job if you enjoy driving and can keep your ego in check with rude passengers and people driving around you that aren't good drivers and deal with the first couple years scheduling.

I'm going to tell everyone I wish I knew before I applied.  Training is an extension of the interview process.  They only expect about 8 people out of 12 in the class to make it through training.  The rest will be discarded.  Then you are on probation for 6 months.  They want people to be emotional punching bags for the worst Spokane has to offer.  You better be cool with being called every name in the book by welfare people, drunks & druggies because this is what STA actually expects of you.  They consider this along with being assaulted as just being a part of the job.  They do not want to put shields on buses despite request because they don't want to make the passengers nervous even though drivers seem to get assaulted on the regular.  Thanks to the new CEO, STA only cares about their image and will crush anyone who they feel threatens it.  If they would only extend that same concern for their own driver's safety.  There is NO job security or support from leadership as they seem to fire people at every turn.

a typical day at work involves giving tasks you haven't been properly trained to perform. It also involves being criticized for work that someone else did. It is a union job but you'll be hard-pressed to find a union representative to voice your issues to.

I learned to not trust anyone and to give up hope. 

the management that I dealt with on the fixed route side had literacy issues. There were constant threats. You could Feel the tension in the workplace everyday.

the hardest part of the job was staying motivated to finish my own work while the favorites accomplished very little throughout the day. 

The most enjoyable part of the job was my lunch break.

A typical work day is fast paced and each day was fun and had unique challenges as well as eventful set of events with meeting new people that did the surveys.  What I learned is how to be a more people oriented person.  Because you meet all kinds of people with diverse backgrounds & nationalities.  Learned valuable customer service skills,  good linstening skills. Really was delighted to work with different coworkers in encouraging and inspiring them to reach their full potential.  The hardest part of the job was dealing with difficult passagers.  The most enjoyable part was greeting passagers.

You would be shocked at the kind of abusive behavior is hurled at the coach operators. Some of these passengers are just so miserable and twisted that they find pleasure in hurting others. Imagine having someone ask you a question, you’re happy to answer. Then this person calls you an idiot and walks away. They fire people all the time over petty things. They expect you to put up with name calling and physical assault. They refuse to put shields on the buses. The buses exhaust is pumped into the driver’s cab making you sick. The AC hardly works in the summertime.Your going to be called every name in the book for NO REASON whatsoever. You’re going's to see the worst of people.

When your new it’s probably the hardest schedule you’ll ever have but you do move up faster than you think and then the schedule and the money gets better the worse part of the job is the traffic and sometimes the passengers but no more than in any other public forum job  there are ample opportunities to advance at sta I retired from there and then went back as apart time employee   I would recommend this to any young person who wants a career and a job that would allow you to buy a home and raise a family and retirement it’s as much as you want it to be for real

The position offered excellent compensation and exceptional benefits, making it a stable monetary opportunity. However, my experience was tempered by inconsistent leadership quality among supervisors and a noticeable disconnect between upper management and the day-to-day realities faced by drivers. Additionally, the Human Resources department held disproportionate influence over company operations, which often undermined team cohesion and organizational morale.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great benefits, ok pay and vacation.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The "upstairs people".  You are nothing but a number.  Nobody cares about you.  Management thinks of you as lower class people. They think they are better than you

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Poor. You are just a warm body to them.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Slow.  They waste somuch taxpayer money its incredible.  If the public only knew

If you are applying for the "Chief of Security" or any security position, I would advise caution.  I believe this company does not have a serious commitment or the courage to address its very real security problems,  especially at the Plaza.  The fact that the Administration has its plush offices separate from the dangerous and smelly Plaza should be a clue.  I would advise any officer, employee or citizen injured at the Plaza to contact a lawyer immediately to address the recklessness of the STA Adminsitration.

Only those who stroke the CEO's ego and act as her minions are allowed to grow in the organization.  Everything you do must make her appear "better", whether or not it is best for the organization, the community or the tax payers.  Doing "the right thing" is never on the list of priorities. Doing the "right thing" often leads to punishment or termination.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Bus driver 1 salary reported	$30.85 per hour
Planner 1 salary reported	$84,858 per year
Human resources specialist 7 salaries reported	$84,561 per year
Vehicle technician 2 salaries reported	$36.95 per hour
Route supervisor 1 salary reported	$88,248 per year

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