Wheel Trans Information Session

(not my photo)

In January I submitted an application to both work as a driver for the TTC and Wheel Trans. For those of you who don't know Wheel Trans is the city of Toronto bus service for persons with the greatest need for accessible transportation. People who are in wheelchairs or use canes or walkers for instance. They can call for door-to-door service to and from wherever they're going.

Two weeks ago I got a letter in the mail informing me that I had been one of the persons chosen to attended an information session on getting to know more about their operation. There were three things we were supposed to bring. Our driver's license, the letter we received in the mail and a driver's abstract from the Ministry of Transportation (of Ontario) showing our driving record for the past 3-years. I applied on-line to receive that in the mail. Those were some of the most nerve wracking days that I've been through. I only had 12 days from the day I submitted the request until I had to attend the meeting. The information on the Ministry website said it would take 10-15 days to be delivered. So, understandably, I was nervous. I'm happy to report I received my driver's abstract with one day to spare. I knew I'd be cutting it close. Too close for comfort.

The meeting was at the Days Inn on Wilson west of Jane. Registration at 7:30 a.m. Meeting starts at 8:00. Oddly enough it was in the same conference room that our infamous Trader corporate changeover meeting was held. The ones where our new bosses told us our jobs would be safe. Well, that wasn't quite true now was it? Anyway, when I first arrived I was surprised to see so many other applicants. I didn't expect there to be that many. There were mostly men. A varied mix of ethnicities. The age range looked to be on the older side. Perhaps in the mid-40's to mid-50's. I was a little surprised at that.

We were told that there were two sessions - morning and afternoon. So, another similarly sized group would come in after us. In total there probably would be about 250 or so people attending. Though we were chosen from a group of 3,000 applicants. That was supposed to make us feel better. I believe they were considering hiring 40-50 new employees. That's not too bad. Your odds of getting a job were about 1 in 5.

After a short introduction by Michelle, the safety and training coordinator, we were shown a presentation about what working at Wheel Trans involves. It was pretty interesting. The majority of riders (76%) are over 65-years-old. The split between ambulatory (able to walk, albeit with assistance such as a cane or walker) passengers and non-ambulatory passengers (in wheelchairs for example) is almost even with the former coming in at 48% and latter 52%. Most of the trips are made for medical purposes at 56%. Shopping and social trips come next with 15% each. Work/school and visits to group homes bring up the rear with 8% and 6% respectively.

We were given a brief description of the job next. When your day might possibly start or end - as early as 5:00 a.m. and as late as 3:00 a.m. on special days. The different lengths of shifts you might run - 5X 8 hours, 4X 10 hours or 3X 13:20 hours. We were told about the training schedule (should we make it that far) and wages and benefits. Then we were given two tests.

The first test was a short 12 minute one (if I remember correctly). I think it was just to test your read comprehension and written skills. There were three questions. The second was about how you would deal with a customer who was upset because you arrived late to pick them up. the third asked about what the most difficult part of the job would be. The first had something to do with listing the three most important qualities you thought a driver should have or something like that. The second test was longer. It was 40 minutes. It was a city knowledge test. It asked where certain landmarks like hospitals or malls were. There were some questions about what you thought the best route would be to get from one location to another. The last section was probably the best way to score points. It listed various intersections around the GTA. You had to say which direction they were from Yonge and Eglinton (coincidentally where I live). So, for instance, if they wrote "Don Mills and Steeles", you would write NE because that intersection is north of Eglinton and east of Yonge.

I believe I did pretty well on that test. I didn't answer all the questions, but I made it through to the end. From the chatter from the other attendees, not everyone was so pleased. I know it's not nice to take pleasure from the misfortunes of others. But, in this case we're all gunning for the same jobs. So I hope I did better than most. We'll find out pretty soon. If we pass this phase we'll be called for a face-to-face interview, possibly with the safety and training coordinator, Michelle, and an HR person. There are a few more hurdles to cross. I'm hoping I have the legs to clear them.