Bus Operator

About Greater Cleveland RTA

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) service area is 460 square miles. We serve approximately 200,000 customers on a typical weekday, or about 50 million rides annually, through a variety of modes (Bus, BRT, Paratransit, Light and Heavy Rail). RTA is the 2019 recipient of the prestigious American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Gold Award for Bus Safety & Security Excellence. We are proud to be one of Northeast Ohio’s major employers with a workforce of over 2,300 employees carrying out our mission of Connecting the Community.

We offer a wide range of comprehensive benefits and programs to support the health and wellness of employees and family members including health benefits (medical, dental and vision), a wellness incentive program and participation in the Ohio Public Employee Retirement System (OPERS).

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) located in Cleveland, Ohio, is searching for high-spirited and friendly Bus Operators to provide safe, efficient, and quality transportation service to customers.

Duties: Functions as a Customer Service Ambassador for RTA and the City of Cleveland by providing a safe, efficient, and ‘unique’ quality transportation service for our customers. Transports customers by operating the Bus during regularly scheduled routes and special service routes while observing route time schedule, safety rules/regulations, and State and municipal traffic laws. Provides exceptional interpersonal and customer service skills by initiating customer interaction and responding to customer inquiries. Provides information on points of interest and major tourist destinations during trips providing information on: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center, Playhouse Square, University Circle Museums, Downtown Restaurants, including a knowledge of the hours of operations. Must have a working knowledge of fare collection, routes, stops, and hours of operation. Calls stops via PA system to ensure customers know stops along route. Administers RTA policy and procedures in special circumstances (e.g., service interruption, emergencies, etc.) This position is critical in serving as an ambassador for the Authority, the community, and the Greater Cleveland area.

Minimum Qualifications: Applicants must have a high school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent. Applicants must be at least 19 years of age, have a minimum of three (3) years of driving experience, and at least two (2) years of customer service experience. Applicants must demonstrate strong interpersonal skills for providing exceptional customer service. Applicants must be able to understand and adhere to all safety rules and regulations. Applicants must have a GOOD DRIVING RECORD with no more than TWO (2) POINTS, in the past three years.

Applicants who successfully pass the selection process who do not have a permanent or temporary CDL may be offered a position, contingent on obtaining the temporary CDL permit during training.

Successful candidates will be required to pass a background check, drug screen and post-offer physical that satisfies the requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Training Wage: $17.00 without CDL. $20.00 with a CDL with passenger endorsement and airbrake endorsement (Class A OR B)

Wage Rate after Training: $26.48 hourly, plus wage rate increases up to $30.00 after five years of full-time equivalent services.

Additional Details

Working Conditions: The working conditions described below are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Environmental Conditions: This person will work predominantly in a coach providing revenue service by transporting customers in various weather conditions. This person will initiate customer interactions and respond to customer inquiries, maintain order on the bus, and observe route time schedules, safety rules/regulations, and State and municipal traffic laws.

Physical Demands: Must be able to pass DOT physical requirements for CDL driver and pass D&A testing requirements. This person will need to be able to communicate clearly, be observant of obstacles and people, have ability to meet customer demands, meet route time schedules, safety rules/regulations, and State and municipal traffic laws. This person will have occasional standing and walking, frequent to continuous driving, sitting, climbing steps, and reaching occasional lifting and carrying no more than 10lbs., rare lifting/pulling up to 50 lbs. of force to lift up a wheelchair ramp if it malfunctions, only on certain buses. This person may assist special needs customers, which may include pushing, pulling and lifting.

Mental Demands: Must be able to provide information on points of interest, have working knowledge off are collection, routes, stops and hours of operation, and have the ability to use a PA system.

Examination Information: Candidates selected to participate in the hiring process will receive directions via e-mail to take an online assessment. Candidates must pass the assessment and an interview in order to move forward in the pre-employment process. The examination process will consist of three parts including a computer assessment, interview, and record evaluation for internal candidates. The record evaluation will be weighted as 15% of the overall examination score for candidates who have passed the computer assessment and interview. Record evaluation information will be obtained from the candidate’s supervisor. Candidates must pass the written examination to be eligible to proceed to additional parts of the examination process required to establish eligibility for the position. Candidates will become eligible based on the composite scores from each part of the examination process of 70%. In accordance with the Merit Systems Rules, internal candidates who become eligible will be given preference over external candidates. Record evaluation criteria may include, but not limited to, an employee’s attendance and discipline record for one rolling year at the time of review. Records evaluation information includes the following:

• 5 or more absence occurrences
• 1 or more AWOL Occurrences
• 5 or more misses
• 1 or more active written reminders (for preventable accidents or customer service complaints)
• 1 or more Drug or alcohol suspension
• 1 or more Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) suspension
• 1 or more Active Decision-Making Leave (DML)

ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATION FOR INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS” FORM will be requested once the internal applicant has completed the application and all required testing has been completed and passed. Any internal candidate to who is at or above the thresholds listed above will not receive the points for their Eligibility Certification."

The performance of these duties may be required at any time of the day or night, any day and night of the week. The position is a bargaining unit position.

All communications regarding your application will be sent through the I-Recruitment site, you will receive an email from "Oracle Administrator (OR15)" sysadmin@gcrta.org to let you know there has been a change to the status of your application or that you have received a communication regarding your application.

To check the status of your application: Log into the GCRTA I-Recruitment site, and look under the “Status” column. To check your communications: Log into the GCRTA I-Recruitment site, click on the icon below "Application Details” of the job posting, click on the “Communications "tab to view communications

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/ADA EMPLOYER/DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE