A Typical Day

Everyday a bus driver completes his route picking up passengers and taking them to their destinations.

Top 3 Perks

1) People love to drive 

2) Being an important part of people’s day and getting them from A to B

3) Receiving city benefits

Job Culture

Driving for long periods of time, answering passengers questions, calculating fares

My Experience

Driving a bus for the Toronto Transit Commission is a tough job and I observed firsthand while watching and asking questions to one of their bus drivers. The driver’s route was along a major street and he stopped multiple times at a subway stop. I think he actually got a lucky route too because pretty well the whole bus stayed on the bus till the subway station so he didn’t have to stop every block. The day I shadowed him it was a really rainy day so while it seemed to be pretty quiet on the streets all the passengers were in a bad mood because they were wet. The driver told me the days in the rain are usually slower and can be frustrating. He just tries to drive safely in the rain and complete his route. On his route he says he likes to help with hundreds of people everyday and know that when he gets home he doesn’t have paperwork or anything to worry about.

The driver I shadowed started a few years ago and is hoping to be a subway train operator in the future. In order to become a subway operator you must have experience driving a bus. Although he wants to operate a train he still seemed like he enjoyed his job, at least he did the day I shadowed him.

Requirements

1) High school diploma 

2) Driver’s license

3) Training from employe

Skills Needed

Good driving skills, people skills, patience, ability to concentrate, geographic knowledge

The Field

– Roads are becoming more congested and more frustrated as urbanization increases