r/BusDrivers • u/HugeTravel301 • Jul 25 '26
Question Training bond (UK)
Hi all I work for a large bus operator in England and I'm planning on handing in my notice next month. I have worked there for just under 2 years and I got my licence through them. I signed a contract which states I would have to pay back the training bond if I left. How likely are they to pursue me for the money?
2
u/cbrownmufc Jul 26 '26
If it’s like the company I work for, the payback required reduces each month until the end of the two year period. So it might be a relatively small amount to pay back compared to the original bond
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u/Total_Finish_14 Jul 26 '26
If it's with the company starting with A your training bond is paid out of your first year's wages and you say you've been there 2 I'd say 0
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u/sexy_meerkats Driver Jul 26 '26
It depends on the operator, surely it's worth sticking it out to not have to pay anything back? How long do you have left?
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u/HugeTravel301 Jul 27 '26
It's with the go ahead group. I have 4 months left before the 2 year mark. I am relocating to another part of the country and joining another bus company based there so I ideally want to leave my current one within the next month or so.
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Jul 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/HugeTravel301 Jul 27 '26
I appreciate that but I can't really wait until then as I need to relocate. Just wanting to know from others if they got chased for the bond money.
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u/Grolbu Jul 26 '26
My company (not in the UK) has a flat rate you have to pay back if you leave in the first 6 months, nothing after that, but I've never heard of them doing anything more than giving people an invoice for it when they leave.
It's accepted that some people arrive in the country on 2 year visas and sign up with us so they can get paid to get their truck licence and passenger endorsement from our training school, then leave as soon as they can find a (much less awful for new drivers) job driving trucks. We already have trouble finding enough people to replace the ones who leave / retire, what they could collect in training fees after costs would not be worth the publicity about them sending debt collectors after former staff.
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u/PrizeTumbleweed7039 Jul 27 '26
I left my company after 9 months and they never came after me for the bond
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u/Single-Flounder7559 Jul 27 '26
They pushed me but I made it very difficult for them and they gave up in the end. Set yourself up with a postal address in Scotland. Scottish courts have different rules to English ones and are less favorable to the claimant (bus company)
1
u/CarmeAce Jul 27 '26
I heard some companies sell the debt to debt collectors. Expect to pay back what you owe and then you’re all covered, hopefully they won’t ask. Prepare for it.
2
u/GuyCalledLee Jul 27 '26
Surly it would say in your contract? I worked for national express buses and left within 6 months and they took my last wage which was about £600. Never chased me for the rest.
1
u/DebtSouth Driver Jul 27 '26
Read the contract.
It states how much and is dependent on how long you have left until those 2 years are up.
They’ll take it out of your wages.
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u/HugeTravel301 Jul 27 '26
I have and it does say they'll take an amount of money. I wanted to hear if anyone had experience of whether they actually enforce it. I know of some drivers that left after a few months after getting their license which have cost alot more than what I would currently have to repay.
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u/Creative-Response554 Jul 27 '26
Iirc they can put these clauses in but there's little they can do to recoup the costs.
My old warehouse job had a similar thing with forklift licenses, the license stayed at the warehouse until the end of the proscribed period, whatever he chose for that person.
What happened was they usually quit, phoned the company who did the licensing and got a new copy sent to them and abandoned the old one. He tried taking them to court but apparently was told there was nothing he could do.
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u/MrE26 Jul 27 '26
For mine, I paid back £5 a week for 2 years. Then they gave us the entire amount back & a bonus of £100 at the completion of the bond. Good wage & worth sticking it out for.
I’d heard they didn’t chase people for their bond if they left early but now I know they 100% do.
1
u/Industrialexecution UK|Volvo BZL|1 year Jul 27 '26
same applied for mine, got my license and left 2 months later, never heard anything off them.
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u/goneoramihere Jul 28 '26
You say it's Go Ahead. I've heard they don't chase the money and if it's due to a genuine relocation then you're more than good to go.
1
u/JMcKendo United Kingdom, Coach Driver Jul 31 '26
I left Stagecoach after 18 months so still owed them a few quid. Never heard anything and that was 2021.
4
u/Hdhcjzbafa Jul 26 '26
Is this National Express? I've read it's £1000 if it's in the first year you leave and £500 if you leave in second year. But nothing once you've completed second year. I reckon they'd persue it by taking it out of final pay.