bus driver

patient safety attendant

driver

mechanic

shuttle driver

Patient Transport Services

I recently had the opportunity to work at Voyago, and while it initially appeared promising, my experience turned out to be far from what I had anticipated. Allow me to share my thoughts on various aspects of my time there.

The initial impression was undeniably positive. I was impressed by the engaging and well-conducted interviews, which showcased the company's commitment to hiring competent and friendly individuals. At the time, I truly believed I had found my dream job.

However, as I settled into the company, I began to notice a stark contrast between the pleasant facades presented by my colleagues and the negativity that permeated the workplace behind closed doors. It was disheartening to discover that many workers seemed stressed and overwhelmed. Most conversations overheard were angry and frustrating, often due to the excessive hours and workload they were burdened with.

Another notable issue was the recurring frustration of repeatedly explaining or conveying information to superiors, only to find them later seemingly confused about why certain events or outcomes had occurred. This lack of comprehension and memory demonstrated by some supervisors further hindered progress and contributed to a sense of inefficiency and wasted effort.

Additionally, the office environment was and still is very unorganized. It became increasingly evident that there was a lack of effective systems and processes in place, resulting in inefficiency and in a lot of cases confusion. The disorganization further contributed to the overall negative "culture".

Moreover, the lack of adequate support exacerbated the already challenging situation. Despite promises made by managers and supervisors, whether immediately or further down the line, the execution of these commitments often took months or, in some cases, never materialized at all. This also led to even more frustration among the workforce and also created a sense of distrust and disillusionment.

Another pressing concern was the unreasonably long hours expected (but not enforced) of employees. A worker could start their day at 6 am and end their day at 4 or 6 pm and only get paid 4 hours a day or they may get paid 12 hours, it was ridiculous. The demands placed upon workers were often beyond what could be reasonably accomplished within a standard workweek, resulting in a constant struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

In conclusion, my experience at Voyago has left me disappointed and disenchanted. The initial allure quickly faded, revealing a workplace where negativity prevailed behind the scenes, workers were stressed, and support was scarce. The unfulfilled promises, lackluster health spending account, and unreasonable hours further added to the growing sense of dissatisfaction. 
I will not go so far as to say that I hated working here, but, I would definitely not recommend employment to a friend. It is my hope that these concerns are acknowledged and addressed to create a more fulfilling and supportive work environment for future employees.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The passengers and your co-workers

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Having to deal with management and bovine rules.  The fact that you are only treated as a number even after 10 years of service.  Management is somewhat incompetent and enforces the rules as if we are robots

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
In regards to management toxic, there is very little upward movement and the enforcement of rules is carried out with little to no concern for the welfare or morale of its employees.  Management is more concerned about its contracts than its employees.  The pay is low starting at $11.75 in 2013 and going up to $19.25 in 2023 but only due to other divisions and the extremely high turnover.  There used to be one supervisor to handle the same amount of work if not more than the 3 supervisors that currently work.  The supervisors are rarely seen outside of the 9-5 hours.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
You go to work, get your stuff to start off the day from our dispatch.  Get your key and your paperwork then go out and inspect your bus for safety.  You go and wait for your first pickup.  The average shift is 11 hours long.  The times start at 5:45 and the service ends at 2300 hours.  You check your manifest and ensure you get to your first pickup on time and contact LTC dispatch to let them know you are on and if there are any conflicts.  You pick up passengers and engage in small talk and ensure they arrive safely at their destination.  You have to navigate London traffic and let other drivers know if there are issues and ask to see if you can have a lunch.  For some unknown reason, bus drivers are not given the same rights to a lunch as most other workers.  Voyago pays for our lunch and makes a big deal of the fact that they do.  A lot of time one does have some breathing room between calls and if there is a lot you contact dispatch and you may get an add on.  It is important to keep your radio turned up so you hear about changes to your route or get important messages from dispatch.  For the most part the workload is not overwhelming and has only reached 50% of the pre covid levels.  I averaged about 10 passengers a day in the last year versus 20-30 passengers per day 5 years ago.  I do my best to entertain the passengers and make their day better.  This also helps to make the day go by.  At the end you clean and sweep the bus, fill it up with gas, make sure all the safety equipment is put away.  Go up to the office hand in the bus key and all the required paperwork and decompress with fellow staff.

-management/ dispatch doesn’t care about ministry set laws. For example you are not allowed to drive past 14 hours in a day but they will constantly tell you to do it anyways 
-no set shift start or end times, I have seen day shifts start as early as 4:30am and end as late at 11 pm 
-I’ve had lay cheque’s with around 100 hours worked yet have never received overtime pay. (Ontario laws say overtime must be paid after 44 hours weekly or 88 hours bi-weekly) 
-the vehicles you are expected to drive have constant problems and when they finally do go in for repairs the mechanics never actually fix the problems (I suspect this is more of managements fault and not the mechanics themselves but can’t confirm) 
-dispatch will expect you to do an hour long drive in 45 minutes
- good luck getting a lunch and even if you do it will be after 5 hours which means your lunch is supposed to be paid for but when recording that you have gotten your lunches on your log sheet there is no where to indicate what time it was taken at so they take it off your pay anyways. 
- many of the employees here are either paramedic student/graduates or fire student/grads. All of which believe they know absolutely everything
-in order to meet job requirements you are supposed to do a 250 lbs lift test during orientation but don’t worry they don’t actually care if you can’t lift it, they just pass the burden on the the person you’re working with
-hardly any full time positions available but if you do get one you get a whopping 900$ in benefits per year
- your hours can be greatly effected by your partner, if they call in sick you will either be told not to come in or will end up working an extremely short shift 
- uniforms not supplied. 
-due to lack of crews you are always late for pick ups resulting in some angry nurses/patients who have no problem taking it out on you 
-many people starting a job here believe they will be helping patients truth is you’re just a taxi without the tips 
-you will be told to drive in any and all weather conditions (fortunately they do understand driving according to road conditions)
- I could honestly go on and on about the problems with this company and I know as soon as I submit this review I will think of something big that I wish I added. 

Anyways have a nice day and stay away...

Driving a school bus isn't rocket science. SAFETY tops everything at Voyago. If you listen to the communications to and from buses, You quickly understand that this is a very positive organization. Everyone in the office exudes positive vibes, each and every day! After retiring out of a public service position of 30 years where negativity had creeped in and took over the work place, Voyago is 100 breath's of fresh air!! You come in and start your pre-trip inspection and run through the list faithfully. If you're careless and miss something obvious it could be deadly. Never lose sight of the precious cargo you're transporting. Right now with covid there is extra cleaning to be completed. All of the items required are supplied. You have ample time to travel to a point just before your first stop. Carry on with your run, if you're delayed let dispatch know if you're later than 10 minutes. There are many reasons why you could be running late, There are absolutely no reasons to be running early. Finish your run at a school. When all students are off, DO YOUR CHILD CHECK!!! There is an alarm that is silenced by a switch at the rear of the bus. Do this religiously. If you place a child in danger because you didn't check, you're terminated, immediately no excuses accepted. Reverse for the going home trip, again at the end, CHILD CHECK!!!!!. That's pretty much it ! Treat everyone like you wish to be treated, keep your bus clean and drive with SAFETY at the forefront. There is no excuse for disregarding SAFETY, termination will come very quickly if you don't abide by that standard.

You receive all of your pick ups in the morning on a computer tablet and can use your phone or GPS to find your way to the addresses (hands free device). The clientelle are primarily seniors but can include people with vision impairments, physical impairments and cognitive. The clientelle are friendly for the most part, you won't have too much difficulty. The clients are what many drivers say makes the job enjoyable.

Contrary to some reviews, management doesn't speak down to people and will listen. Bringing about change though is something unlikely to happen from a conversation.

The largest issue with Voyago in my opinion is the wages. Beginning wages range from $18 to $19 with a .50 cent annual raise. This is almost minimum wage for a job industry that generally pays more.

The end result is that there's a constant turnover which in turn brings more calls to drivers because the loss of a driver(s) adds to other driver's daily pickups. It seems to be a cycle where the company continually has to advertise to hire new people.

The shifts are eleven hours and you have no lunch nor any schedule breaks. If the list of pickups shows 5 minutes between pickups, you don't have a window where you can stop to eat a meal. If gaps exist in the pickups, you can sit in a parking lot and do what you'd like. You're also able to stop to use a bathroom (which includes get a coffee).

The hardest part of the job is the hours (11). By the end of the shift you're liable to make mistakes and this is when collisions occur.

Management does offer some perks like a Bingo game where you can win cash, cash incentives for perfect attendance and for taking on extra shift. At the same time, that money could go to higher wages.

I applied for the position of paratransit driver six months ago. Within a week I had my interview scheduled. The process was very easy and the interviewer was friendly. There was no stress as you'd expect there to be. I submitted my requirements and had a road test with the trainer.

The paratransit drivers receive their route in the morning by tablet, and routes are updated throughout the day (add ons or cancellations). These are straight shifts which means you're paid for the entire shift but receive no lunch nor break. If you have medical needs (such as glucose testing), factor this in. There is time between calls to eat most days but not all.

You'll be primarily working alone except for passengers and there's little interaction with other co-workers or management. Sometimes I feel we don't receive as much credit as we should.

The routes vary day by day but you'll find many common pick up places and learn the hospital locations and senior residences. The passengers are friendly, and it's like traveling with your grandparents. You can get by using a GPS if you don't know the streets.

Management so far has been supportive when needed.  I've learned that I have empathy for others, and find myself more compassionate to people with disabilities.

There is much room for improvement in the rate of pay. For being responsible for other people's safety, the company vehicle, driving in busy traffic and trying to meet scheduled times, we're paid just over minimum wage whereas other bus drivers in Ontario make almost 63% more.



I work as a Paratransit Driver which involves driving people who have mobility issues or cognitive issues around the City of London. The clients are all great, and I treat them like my grandparents. The co-workers are energetic and supportive of one another.

The positive points end here however. Voyago is continually hiring upper positions such as HR, Managers, Trainers, etc. which means they need compensation. The driver, being the only person bringing in the bacon for these contracts, remains at just a dollar and change above minimal wage. No money they say for better driver pay, but the payroll keeps growing.

Drivers often have zero support in way of cleaning supplies, safety concerns or payroll issues. Many times these go unanswered despite multiple drivers complaining. I feel that everyone in authority wants to earn a cheque and not rock the boat dealing with the real issues.

The  company is now being unionized so I'm hopeful that drivers will no longer be at the bottom of the payroll and have to buy their own supplies. A new era is coming.

If you enjoy working with elderly people, and have a passion to drive, this could be a retirement job for you. Do know that you're working 11 hours and there's no lunch breaks and no scheduled breaks. If you have medical concerns, low blood sugar, etc. then driving for six hours before any downtime might not be good for you.

As for benefits, the question everyone wants to know about, these apply if you work 30 or more hours per month but you pay into it yourself, the company doesn't match a penny.

Management has no idea what's going on around them. They'll take your shifts away and tell you they had "no choice," while the people who buddy up with them never have to worry about job security. Occasionally you'll get told two different start times. If your start time does get changed, 80% of the time nobody notifies dispatch so they'll constantly try to send you to calls when you're already going to go over 12 hours because "according to their document they have you for another 2 hours."

Dispatch will often ignore you for hours at a time and rarely take ownership of their mistakes when incorrect patient pick-up info makes you late for a call. They'll give you a Kitchener pick-up for 1:20pm while you're in the middle of wrapping up a call in Mount Forest at 12:58pm, 1 hour away, and then get mad at you for being late. Getting to take your pathetic 30 minute lunch break can be an ordeal. And god forbid your truck breaks down, as now dispatch is angry and management half-treats it like its your fault.

But the worst thing about Voyago is how much management lies. About advancement, opportunity, truck safety... you name it. It's hard to get a straight answer out of them without half-baked excuses and platitudes thrown your way. Everything is somebody else's fault.

The employees are mostly fine, the equipment is usually passable (except the glitchy tablets), and the job itself isn't awful... time goes by pretty fast at least. But all of these little things add up to make a menial minimum wage job more stressful than it has any right to be.

Do not recommend unless you're going for EMS, and even then I'd recommend exploring your other options first.

The attendants you work with for the most part are amazing. 
The management team worry about themselves and making money more than they do their staff and patients. 
It is 12 hour shifts and most of the time you have to fight with them for a break, when and if you do get one, it’s a half hour for the whole 12 hour shift. Even then they will ask you if you can split your break into two and take two 15 minute breaks for a whole 12 hours. 
They schedule the calls too close together making you late causing hospital staff to take it out on you.  
They don’t give you enough time at the start of your shift to prepare your truck and get to your first call, and then proceed to get mad and give you trouble for being late.  
They base your start time around their calls. If there are no calls, you don’t get called into work. You do get an “on call” rate, but it is not worth it when you sit around all day waiting to be called in and waste the day away. 
They send you all over the place (ex:Cornwall, and then Kingston, then back to Brockville) so you better be willing to drive a lot, and most of the time unreliable vehicles.
They advertise $18 an hour but it starts at $17 and there are no benefits.
And they always seem to find a reason to take bonuses away.
Also if you damage any equipment you are responsible for the cost which is insane.
The terminate loyal long standing employees without cause.
When they send you out of town e.g. Ottawa, they expect you to make your calls on time and navigate to each hospital like you know exactly how to get there already. 

Only on call shifts but when highered was supposed to be full time/ part time. They have the government grants for each person that's highered and then not giving them any hours besides on call. They won't give you your emergency response trainning card after completing the course. Legally you need to have that card in your wallet but they try and make u pay 150 to get the card when they didn't even pay for the course it was substidize by unemployment! You have to beg for hours, beg for you to be paid for hours that you have worked. You don't get on call shift pay or night shift premium pay , they  say you get a higher pay for those shifts. You put out a lot of money on uniforms , trainning, police clearence, to do tests and alot more things needed. Then you get no hours after being there 4 months I had 5 real shifts. Management is very unorganized and just tell you what you want to here but does not care to change the way they mistreat there employees. They use people and treat them like a piece a trash, lie to you from the start. I've never been so unhappy at a job, felt so used. Had to beg to get hours or get paid for hours you did work. The employees that have been there make it like a soap like days of our lives. Like grade school drama and they hang u out to dry. They won't help you. Will let you sink when needing any kind of help, throw you on something you weren't trained to do cause they  don't feel like doing it. This place should be closed down.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Bus driver 714 salaries reported	$21.48 per hour
Patient safety attendant 76 salaries reported	$20.56 per hour
Driver 83 salaries reported	$20.00 per hour
Mechanic 60 salaries reported	$37.80 per hour
Shuttle driver 68 salaries reported	$19.73 per hour

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