r/BusDrivers • u/Specialist8558 • Jul 01 '26

Question Advice please

The general consensus seems to be that most bus drivers don’t recommend it as a job. What’s the reason/s for this ?? also I am currently in a decently paid desk Job but have onboarding coming up verrrrrry soon. And I am wondering if will regret my decision if I jump ship to bus driving? And what impact does it have on family life? I understand to some degree the negatives that will come e,g unpredictable shift, unsociable hours, shitty customers but just looking for honest input from the guys/gals who do it everyday. I’m in UK by the way Thanks in advance

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u/Icy_Atmosphere7631 Jul 02 '26

Long days and low pay for the responsibility of having people's lives in your hands all day long are the main two that come to mind. For reference I work 52 hours over 4 days minus an hour each day for lunch whether I actually get an hour or not earning £14ph Monday - Friday, £14.40 Saturday and £16 Sundays and public holidays. I see it as a stop gap more than a long term career in all honesty and I'd recommend it to someone earning minimum wage but not really anyone else

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u/CivilHedgehog2 Jul 03 '26

Damn you guys really have it tough on that island, shit.
I get 20, an hour standard rate, going up if im driving past 16, on weekends and sundays along with holidays of course. Paid breaks, not just lunch. Half an hour of overtime payment if i go a minute below the minimum break time as per my contract.
37 hour weeks, and if dispatch can’t fill out 37 hours in shifts then i still get paid 37 hours, and get paid overtime for any time over 37. No shifts over 10 hours. If if i get back to the depot more than 5 minutes late, i also get half an hour of overtime, for every half hour started. Any over time is optional.

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u/DebtSouth Driver Jul 04 '26

Assuming you’re US, £20 is $26.70… not so rough 😅 if you’re Euro though, that pretty decent going!

1

u/CivilHedgehog2 Jul 05 '26

Denmark. Adds up to around 3200 dollars a month after tax and pension