TTC faces driver dilemma as ridership rockets

[simply Dan]

CBC: www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto...rship.html


Toronto's public transit is riding a wave of unprecedented growth — and with it comes a problem: finding enough drivers to operate all of the new buses set to hit the streets.

The Toronto Transit Commission will add about 100 new buses to its fleet in September to deal with increasing demand and a growing population.

The TTC is experiencing a growth rate nearly twice the typical rate of other transit systems across North America.

TTC ridership is expected to increase by about 10 million this year, bringing the total number of people riding the rocket to between 452 million and 454 million.

"It's a huge demand on us this year," said TTC acting chief general manager Gary Webster. "We have to ratchet up our training program to deal with that."

In the coming year, the TTC will require roughly 560 new drivers to operate the new buses and meet the hiring demands caused by normal attrition. But finding enough drivers isn't easy.

About 30 per cent of applicants never make it into the driver's seat because they either quit training or fail the tests.

Dean says many entering training sessions think it will be easy — until they try to manoeuvre a 40-foot-long vehicle on busy city streets.

"The real issue is people's ability to do a number things all at once — to be able to look forward and judge traffic, adjusting your rear-view mirror, watching your side mirrors," said Dean. "There are just some people that are unable to do that."

Because of the high failure rate, TTC officials estimate they will require at least 700 trainees to meet their hiring needs.

Despite concerns over the high failure rate of applicants, no major changes are planned for the TTC's hiring process.

"We don't want to lower the standards that we've set for qualifying," said Dean. "We need to make sure that when an individual finishes the training program and becomes a bus operator and is carrying passengers every day that they are capable of doing so safely."

However, the TTC is looking for better ways to screen applicants and plans to introduce a performance interview.

 

[rbtaylor]

Jump TTC fares 25 to 30% to cover all operations costs with the farebox. Eliminate city operations subsidy. (Approx $250M per year.)

Implement tolling with the City of Toronto to cover the capital costs for all street operations (snow clearing, maintenance) and TTC capital (cities share anyway -- feds and provinces can still kick in of course). I understand a $8 per day toll (about the same as 2 TTC cash trips) would raise about $750M per year.

Drop property taxes by about 15% (approx. $450M per year -- total revenue is up about $550M per year in total).

Retire from politics because you will never be elected again.

15 years down the road, gladly accept the new square being named after you for 1) dramatically changing the modal split without bankrupting the TTC, 2) improving the condition of the streets and 3) solving to a certain extent the cities funding issues.

 

[spmarshall]

And let the working poor eat cake with $4 cash fares - so one hour of minimum wage can pay for the TTC for one person!

 

[billonlogan]

About 30 per cent of applicants never make it into the driver's seat because they either quit training or fail the tests.

Unfortunately the TTC is bound to diversity equity hiring. They don't recruit for a skill set but the colour of your skin and gender. I know one guy (white male) with experience driving transport trucks who did'nt even make it past the first interview. He was told by the recruiter they already "filled their quota for white men". He now drives a bus for another GTA transit system. I've heard the same stories with the cops and fire dept.
I would not be surprised if they do lower the standards. It happened at the fire dept where female recruits had a lower standard than the men but had to perform the same tasks.

 

[roch5220]

its all supply demand. increase the wages, and applicants will increase.

 

[billonlogan]

^^^
The average TTC bus driver makes approximately $24.32 an hour. The average Canadian makes a bit more than $32,000 a year.
Assuming a 35 hour a week job with 2 weeks vacation, that's $18.29 per hour, meaning that TTC workers are, on average, *extremely* highly paid, presently making 32% more than most any Canadian you will meet on the street. I cannot fathom what makes it right to have someone being paid three times minimum wage truck people around who, in general, are often down on their luck in jobs and are likely minimum wage earners themselves.

 

[horned beef]

After the TTC workers antics in 2006, i'm not sure a wage increase is going to be looked upon favorably by Toronto taxpayers or TTC riders. Besides that, these men and women are far from underpaid as it is. Maybe they should lower their standards. How difficult can it be to drive it streetcar? You don't even have to steer it.

 

[cassiusa]

billonlogan,

I would assume the cost of living for the average Torontonian is also higher than that of most Canadians.

 

[roch5220]

Household incomes in the 905 hover around 100K, and in 416 it breaks 70K. Hence, making $23 bucks and hour isn't exactly being overpaid.

Regardless, if they need more drivers, and no one wants to do it, you got to encourage people to do so via compensation. Thats all. Unless there are more create non compensation methods of doing so.

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

How difficult can it be to drive it streetcar? You don't even have to steer it.

If you don't have any idea what you're talking about, then don't post it. Streetcars are probably the *most* difficult vehicles to operate, given their size, use in mixed traffic, dangers from drivers ignoring open doors, manual switches, red zones, speed restrictions, turn clearances, parked vehicles abutting onto track way, jaywalkers, long brake distances, debris in the rails, and a dozen other things I could mention.

 

[building babel]

Nobody forces anyone to apply for reasonably well-paying unionised jobs. People with anti-union sentiments are free to stick with their principles and not to apply for them - and remain happily employed at perhaps a lower wage level and perhaps without the benefits that unions negotiate for their members - if they so choose.

Employment equity is about removing employment barriers for those who are members of designated target groups ( women, aboriginals, people with disabilities, people of colour ) that have traditionally faced discrimination in hiring, housing etc.

 

[TdotTrickyRicky]

Billonlogan,

While I'm not a particular fan of "diversity equity hiring" it should be acknowledged that such policies exist because hiring in the general employment market is at best slightly skewed in favour of white males regardless of their ability. The fact is that all employments were once the exclusive domain of white anglo-saxon males and in some areas this remains entrenched. Bus driving might be a little suspect but in specific areas such as policing or the military diversity hiring enhances the effectiveness of the force which would otherwise be slightly compromised by the absense of diversity regardless of the abilities of individual members of the group.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Time to bring back articulated buses? A big boost in capacity with no boost in drivers, just a slight boost in purchasing and maintenance cost I reckon. Either that or self-driving buses.

"I cannot fathom what makes it right to have someone being paid three times minimum wage truck people around who, in general, are often down on their luck in jobs and are likely minimum wage earners themselves."

That's who you think takes transit? Oy vey.

Might as well say you don't think highly of diversity/equity hiring because it means more Chinese women behind the wheel of buses...

 

[bizorky]

Household incomes in the 905 hover around 100K, and in 416 it breaks 70K. Hence, making $23 bucks and hour isn't exactly being overpaid.

And eight bucks an hour sucks if you have to make a living off of it in this city.

 

[billonlogan]

And eight bucks an hour sucks if you have to make a living off of it in this city

Which probably explains the recent boom in discount grocers and retailers ie. Price Chopper, Food Basics, Walmart) in the 416.