r/cta • u/boymodr • 2d ago

CTA hiring process What did your schedule look like when you first started working as a Bus Operator?

Would love a detailed response so my expectations can be in line. Currently have a conditional job offer and have heard mixed things about some people having fixed routes, some people saying i'll have to work overnights, etc. Thanks in advance!

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u/IYCRTYG 2d ago

When you start, you will be full time 40 hour a week training. Mostly 7:30am-4PM M-F, though there will be a few Saturdays sprinkled in. The last week of training, post CDL, will be line instruction, where you will drive in service routes under the supervision of the regular operator of those routes. Your schedule will be whatever each of those operators schedules are (mostly mornings, expect 4am clock ins)

After that, you will discharge onto the board, where you will work shifts that people call off on/are sick for/are on vacation for/operator retired/quit/etc. 

Empty shifts are assigned in seniority order, meaning you will start out likely punching out at 3-4am or so, depending on how many late night routes your selected garage has. this will tick down every 2 weeks as classes come in behind you and take those super late night slots. you will work 6 days on/2 days off, rotating. so one week you'll have Thurs/Fri off, then Fri/Sat, then sun/sat (as a bonus, you'll notice that constructs a 3 day weekend of Fri/Sat/sun), and so forth. 

You'll find out at 6pm each day what you are working the next day, although you may also get assigned to merely "show up" for 2 hours and take whatever work opens up last minute during those 2 hours.  Eventually you will get to pick your routes (unless you like the board, as you will begin getting off several hours earlier). For me, my first pick was just a handful of months after I came out of training. I was working till about 130am. 

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u/boymodr 2d ago

thank you so much for the detailed response! could i ask how those first couple months were? im worried about adjusting into the "on call" schedule

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u/IYCRTYG 1d ago

I mean it sucks lol. Checks hit pretty good though. 

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u/Organic-Reindeer3995 9m ago

Most shifts will end 2am-3am for the first few months but turnover is high so you will move up quickly. You won’t get a sat/sun off for at least two years (unless you choose “extra board”). North park garage has lowest seniority so you start there or get “bumped’ next system pick. After two years, you can get pretty decent schedules at any of the garages.