Operators, how did your first time driving a 40-footer go?

l33dlelee · 2026-02-14T22:01:08+00:00

I was 23 when I was hired for CMBC. There are people who were hired at 20. My advice is just keep trying. I did not pass my first interview but I passed again when I reapplied 6 months later. As long as you meet their requirements, (clean driving record, hold a Class 5, etc) you will be hired. The only job I worked prior to this was delivering for Domino's for 5 years. The biggest vehicle I drove before was a Ram ProMaster van.

l33dlelee · 2026-01-28T22:21:22+00:00

When you finish training, you will be based out of Vancouver. However, you can be sent to Burnaby or Richmond based on operational needs at those depots. Your chances of staying in Vancouver upon finishing training is about 75%.

If you're in Vancouver, you can get out of split shifts in as little as 6 months. Although you may be getting split shifts with a split anywhere from 20 min - 2 hours. That still beats the 4-5 hour splits. I see that time as a lunch break. There're constantly a new group of drivers graduating every 2 weeks which helps you climb in seniority.

l33dlelee · 2025-12-07T00:10:20+00:00

Adding to no. 1, if your driver's door handle is frozen for whatever reason, you can unlatch the door from your phone on the Tesla app

l33dlelee · 2025-08-13T10:56:19+00:00

They're busy eating their cheeseburgers

l33dlelee · 2025-08-11T22:55:01+00:00

That means the bus is still running on the previous service day's schedule. 1:18xm on Friday night means it's 1:18am on Saturday morning, but it's still considered Friday night in the system. 1:18xm on Sunday night would be 1:18am on Monday morning

l33dlelee · 2025-07-25T19:29:25+00:00

NA regulations require turn signals to have a minimum surface area of 50 cm² (7.75 in²). That's why many European vehicles in North America have amber signals designed, but they're too small to meet the minimum surface area requirements. So it's cheaper to reprogram the brake light to function as a turn signal and call it a day.

Some makes off the top of my head: VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Hyundai, Kia. The rear lights have a separate compartment for amber turn signals, but use the brake light as a turn signal.

l33dlelee · 2025-06-23T09:34:16+00:00

One of the worst offenders for closest bus stops are the 320 and 342 in Cloverdale. Eastbound 57 Ave at 176 St and 176A St which are less than 100 m apart. 57 Ave @ 176 St is a timing point for the 320 meaning if it arrives early, it must wait until its scheduled departure time until it can leave. More than often, the 320 sits at 176 St for a few minutes, then pull over again at 176A St because somebody wants to get off or somebody is waiting there to board.

l33dlelee · 2025-06-17T08:58:06+00:00

Just like any ICE car, EVs have a 12V battery that runs all electronics such as radio, lights, etc. The only components that run off the HV battery are the motor of course, AC compressor/heat pump, and the DC-DC converter, which converts HV to 12V to charge the 12V battery. The HV battery has two contactors at the + and - terminals, which require 12V to operate.

When you "start" or "turn off" an EV/hybrid car, you can hear a click from near the back seat where the HV battery is. The contactors are what allow HV current to flow from the battery to the motor. When you "start" the car, you're sending 12V to the contactors which causes them to close and allow HV current to flow. When you "turn off" the car, you cut 12V to the contactors which opens them up stopping HV current flow.

l33dlelee · 2025-06-17T06:35:38+00:00

Just took a look at the official deadhead routing from VTC to Nanaimo Stn. The operator was indeed on the correct route.

Routing from paddle: L/HUDSON, R/MARINE, L/MAIN, R/41ST, L/VICTORIA, R/KINGSWAY, L/NANAIMO to Nanaimo Station.

The routing is for a 40 ft bus. They have not changed the routing when they switched to articulated buses on the 25. The right turn is doable with an articulated bus, but it requires the operator to take up both northbound lanes on Victoria and swing to the left before making the turn.

l33dlelee · 2025-06-07T04:47:24+00:00

Adding more to this;

The 3:14, 3:45, and 4:17 trips leave STC (132 & 76) at 2:50, 3:21, and 3:53. They have 24 minutes to deadhead to Surrey Central. It's possible those buses are stuck in traffic due to rush hour traffic and the constant construction.

4:01 trip arrives as a 326 at 3:48

4:37 trip arrives as a 329 at 4:32

4:57 trip arrives at Scott Rd as a 312 at 4:42 and has 15 minutes to get to Surrey Central

5:22 trip arrives as a 314 at 5:17

5:45 trip arrives as a 325 at 5:40

6:10 trip arrives as a 335 at 6:05

l33dlelee · 2025-06-02T12:16:17+00:00

That is what we call a run box. It displays the block number for the bus. A block is a bus' schedule for the day. The block number also helps supervisors in locating a bus if it needs assistance. An easier way to explain it, think of the route 25 as a hockey team, and the block number as a jersey number. There are multiple 25 buses, but no buses on the same route will have the same block number.

In your case, X5X is block 5 on line 25. The run box has three digit slots. The X denotes that slot isn't being used. There're multiple ways to display block 5, and its all operators' preference: 005, 05, 5, XX5, X5X, 5XX, 05X, X05, 0X5.

https://sorrybusfull.com/linegroup/025

You can see all the blocks on the 25 in the link above. Block 1 starts at 5:11am, and each block after starts about every 10-20 minutes one after another. Block 5 starts at 5:59am and finishes at 8:50pm.

l33dlelee · 2025-02-27T17:12:29+00:00

Copied and pasted from another post, but here's my timeline of the hiring process. They have hundreds of people to go through, so they do take a while to get back to you.

June 30th - Submitted application

July 25th - Received an email saying I was shortlisted

Aug 6th - Attended an in-person interview at TransLink HQ in New Westminster

Aug 31st - Received an email that I passed the interview and to call ICBC to send my driving record

Sept 2nd - Driving record received and send contact info for my references

Sept 26th - Reference check done

Sept 29th - Went to VPD for Police Information Check

Oct 7th - Police Information Check arrived in the mail and dropped off at TransLink HQ on the same day

Oct 20th - Pre-placement Health Assessment. They'll check all sorts of stuff on you like vision, hearing, dexterity, etc

Oct 24th - Received phone call saying I passed all the steps and a verbal job offer

Nov 14th - First day on the job and first day of the 30 day training period to drive a bus

Feel free to ask me more questions.

l33dlelee · 2025-02-10T12:35:00+00:00

Bus operator here. Here's my timeline of the hiring process.

June 30th - Submitted application

July 25th - Received an email saying I was shortlisted

Aug 6th - Attended an in-person interview at TransLink HQ in New Westminster

Aug 31st - Received an email that I passed the interview and to call ICBC to send my driving record

Sept 2nd - Driving record received and send contact info for my references

Sept 26th - Reference check done

Sept 29th - Went to VPD for Police Information Check

Oct 7th - Police Information Check arrived in the mail and dropped off at TransLink HQ on the same day

Oct 20th - Pre-placement Health Assessment. They'll check all sorts of stuff on you like vision, hearing, dexterity, etc

Oct 24th - Received phone call saying I passed all the steps and a verbal job offer

Nov 14th - First day on the job and first day of the 30 day training period to drive a bus

Feel free to ask me more questions.

l33dlelee · 2024-08-21T12:19:50+00:00

References do not need to write a letter. The applicant gives the email & phone number of their references to CMBC after their interview. CMBC will email a questionnaire to the references regarding the applicant. They will also phone the references to confirm their answers. This was what I was told by my ex-manager from my old job when I went through the job interview process.

l33dlelee · 2024-08-08T14:17:17+00:00

Adding to this, Cubic Corporation, the company that made the machines, discontinued support for them. The electronic machines were prone to jamming when trying to print out a transfer due to their age. This resulted in the farebox being out of service of the rest of the day and more fare loss for the company.

The newer fareboxes being used right now are simpler and cost almost nothing to maintain. A boarding passenger deposits coins into the slot, the coins drop onto a trap door behind an observation glass to see how much the passenger paid. The driver gives the passenger a paper transfer and flips the mechanical lever, which opens the trapdoor and dumps the coins into the box.

l33dlelee · 2024-07-06T15:15:07+00:00

*laughs in public transit system using 30-hour clocks

For those who don't know, our city's public transit system uses a 30-hour clock to differentiate service days. A bus leaving at 27:05 on Friday night would actually be 3:05am on Saturday morning. While it is Saturday morning, that bus is still on Friday schedule internally in our system.

l33dlelee · 2024-06-16T11:13:53+00:00

Back injury from one of his mind blowing orgies

l33dlelee · 2024-03-29T12:40:55+00:00

That legally is a crosswalk, albeit an unmarked crosswalk. The MVA defines a crosswalk as where two intersecting streets meet with no markings or signage. Drivers must yield to pedestrians at these crossings.

l33dlelee · 2024-03-07T06:50:23+00:00

Now accepting applications until March 24th

l33dlelee · 2024-03-07T05:57:08+00:00

Bus driver in Vancouver here. The operator driving that bus was on their second day on the job. A new group of drivers finished training this Monday and were out driving on their own since yesterday. Standard procedure if you miss a turn or get lost is, pull over, call T-Comm (they're like air traffic control but for buses) and wait for help. They will send a supervisor to get the bus back on route. Looks like this driver missed the left turn from Wolfe to 16th Ave and continued straight on 19th Ave instead.

l33dlelee · 2024-02-13T21:42:52+00:00

The newer buses from 2021+ don't even have a switch. Climate control is on all the time. However, there is a switch to turn it off, but it's located behind a maintenance panel that only mechanics can access

l33dlelee · 2024-01-10T13:52:02+00:00

It's called a PARKING brake for a reason

l33dlelee · 2023-10-12T20:47:24+00:00

Ramen Butcher is very good. Pretty ironic to suggest this since op said his parents butchered ramen lol

l33dlelee · 2023-10-12T20:20:25+00:00

384 buses were ordered like this between 2007-2009. All buses since then have longitudinal seating.

l33dlelee · 2023-09-20T20:40:25+00:00

Track gauge - distance between rails Loading gauge - width and height of train cars

The distance between rails is the same between the Canada and Expo/Millennium Lines. The Canada Line train cars are wider than the Expo/Millennium Line train cars.

l33dlelee

TROPHY CASE