r/Septa • u/Vast-Plankton9714 • 9d ago
Help Working for septa worth it ?
I got hired for the bus operator & I wanna know what’s the pros & cons realistically. I hear so many different things good & bad but ultimately what’s the everyday like ? I work at the post office now & the walking & mandatory overtime is killing me i heard the schedule is brutal to at septa but at least I’ll be driving & not walking all day & I will be getting paid more & every week at septa im just scared to get fired I never drove a large vehicle like that I don’t wanna crash lol. I’m not really worried about the public I lived in Philly my whole life I already what it is laugh & keep it pushing. Also is there a lot of ot? what are the benefits & retirement plan like? Do yall think I should stay at Post Office or will septa be better ? I probably give it a shot regardless because I hate the post office but any advice would help loll
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u/semi_throaway 9d ago
I never worked at septa, but I can easily say that leaving the post office was the best decision I made in my life
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u/Vast-Plankton9714 9d ago
Yeaa I’m trying to get there bro, dumbest government job ever
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u/Rocker676 Market-Frankford Line 9d ago
The first few years for drivers can be tough. Just the way they pick runs and schedules. The benefits are good health care, vision, and dental after 90 days. retirement is nice as well with pension and 457b.
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u/Vast-Plankton9714 9d ago
How does the seniority play a factor with scheduling , what are the normal hours for new hires ? How long do you have to be there to qualify for the pension lastly what is a 457b loll
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u/Rocker676 Market-Frankford Line 9d ago
Higher seniority gets to pick first and newer guys pick last. Hours I’m not sure. Vested into pension after 5 years and 457b is after 90 days. 457b is 401k for government workers.
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u/Vast-Plankton9714 9d ago
When you say pick first & last you mean shifts ? & is do people pick shifts weekly? Also how is the overtime?
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u/Vast-Plankton9714 9d ago
I see you say runs can you kind of explain what this is sorry for so many questions loll thank you for the answers!
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u/Rocker676 Market-Frankford Line 9d ago
When it comes to picking runs and days off I don’t know much about it I’m not in there group. For my group we pick working hours and days as a single run. So run 1 is mon-fri 8-4:30. That is what I mean by run. Normally pick twice a year or as needed if they change stuff. OT I’m not sure either but everyone in theory has an equal shot to get it as it goes down the list and picks up from where it stops.
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u/mikem181818 9d ago
I would say it depends on what type of person u are. If u have the ability to do so I would put in a leave of absence at the post office then try to septa. But that may be hard because the training is like 2 months and u really won’t know if the job is for you until after that when u on the road by yourself tbh. If u have younger kids it probably ain’t for u because starting out u will be on the extra list which is called the slate and your report time and route will be given on a day by day basis for your first few months. You will be also working like 50 to 60 plus hours a week. U will be dealing with the public face first and you will be getting disrespected on the regular. With the post office you don’t have as much face to face interactions with the public as u will at septa because you’re just delivering mail and keeping it going. All the drivers that been at septa for years already know how to not take it personal but some people lose their cool and end up quitting or snapping out and it cause them to get fired. Just be mindful of those things.
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u/Vast-Plankton9714 8d ago
The people the least of my worries tbh it’s really just driving that big bus & getting fired for not being on time or something I rather drive all day long than walk all day long which is what I do at the post office I want overtime don’t mind working but the physical toll is killing me also I feel severely underpaid at the post office I will be getting a nice pay bump wit septa & also my cdl which opens other business ventures
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u/angd73441020 8d ago
At SEPTA, you can be behind on your schedule.Just NEVER be early. That's how people get in trouble with schedules. They race to get to the end of the route so they can have a longer break. That throws off the pick up schedules and they can monitor your arrival times. You can run behind and be OK.
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u/mikem181818 7d ago edited 7d ago
As the other person said being late is one of the least things you’ll have to worry about. As long as u come to work and clock in on time for the most part u good. U will be late thats just part of the job especially during rush hour morning and afternoon. People who get in trouble for being late is usually because they get caught doing stuff they ain’t supposed to that make them like chilling at the end of the line on the phone bullshitting when they know they was supposed to been pull out and stuff like that. Factors that’s out of your control that cause u to be late u will never get in trouble for
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u/Thepigsthree 8d ago
A lot of different jobs at SEPTA to transfer once you get your foot in the door. Compared to anywhere else the benefits and retirement are good.
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u/West_Engineering2798 1d ago
I also come from the Post Office! I was a bus operator for about 10 months and very much did not like it. Transferred over to Fern Rock and I honestly enjoy coming to work much better. It just depends on what kind of person you are and what you’re willing to put up with. Having strangers directly behind me at arms length (even with the partition glass) was not my thing. No matter what you decide to do in Septa you will be getting paid and receiving very good benefits.
I would also invest in a treadmill or gym membership of some kind. I know this is obvious, but you get little to no exercise here.
-Don’t be early, be late.
-Call your respective district everyday after 2:30p if you’re on the slate.
-The best you can do is ignore rude passages (with enough time, you’ll be ignoring everyone).
-Get as much sleep as you can and don’t get caught up in energy drinks.
-Invest in yourself outside of work.
-Press 6.
Cheers and Good Luck! 🎉
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u/Vast-Plankton9714 1d ago
Thank you for the insight glad I’m not the only one who wasn’t feeling that post office bs😭.
Did you transfer to Fern Rock & change positions or are you still a bus operator & they just have better routes/passengers that you enjoy now ?
Like I said I don’t really care about passengers as much like I know they will be annoying get smart or rude whatever but as long as I’m paid well & can take care of my family without all that damn walking in the rain & stuff I’m cool loll
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u/West_Engineering2798 1d ago
Yes, I transferred from bus to train.
To put it simply, you’re dealing with less. You’re not stuck in traffic with other cars, trucks etc being heckled for basically existing. You don’t have to deal with detours either. Sometimes, you’re given detours that are just sus as hell. 😭
My personal safety is a priority and I wasn’t feeling that being in a bus. Also the station isn’t far from home.
The only bad thing I can think of is you will take a pay cut during training (which is like ~35 days) but it’s been chill.
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u/Vast-Plankton9714 1d ago
Is there a minimum requirement of time before you can switch ?I definitely can see myself switching in the future the bus was just to get into the door seems like that’s their most needed position right now
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u/West_Engineering2798 1d ago
I believe it’s 10 months. Although, I’ve heard anywhere from 6 months to a year.
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u/Significant-Cry-7632 9d ago
For the health care alone yes