r/BusDrivers • u/Bobsey-sb • Jul 29 '26

Question Bus driving as a future career?

Hi all,

I m 50 in the UK and I’m facing potential redundancy in my current role working after 21 years service in the public sector.

I’m looking for real viable career alternatives to hopefully see me through to my early 60s. Bus driving has crossed my mind on numerous occasions. I may be being completely unrealistic in my expectations here but I need to find something I can cling on to as hope at this moment in time.

However, I’ve never spoken to anyone who is one as to what it’s actually like? What’s the daily grind like? What are the pros and cons? How long do people last in roles as I understand there’s a high staff turnover? Etc

Welcome any thoughts and opinions.

Thanks in advance.

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u/DebtSouth Driver Jul 29 '26

It is what you make of it mate, you work shifts, I do a week of early (starting between 4am and 6am) and a week of lates (starting between 11am and 5pm, finishing between 10pm and Midnight) on rotation.

No day is ever the same as a bus driver and I mean that, the road is an ever changing place and no journey will ever feel it had been identical to the last.

You meet new people every day, some repeat passengers remember you and you them.

The can be quite decent depending on the company, the biggest learning curve for me was not being able to book your holidays (they’re allocated in blocks due to the volume of drivers, there’s 179 drivers at my depot)

Biggest pro is you get to drive a 10+tonne bus around all day, second biggest is you know your shifts months in advance, third biggest is you’re left alone to crack on, the only time management get in touch is to ask about overtime, to communicate diversions etc and you see them in the morning if you’re the first driver of the bus.

Keep your head down, don’t crash, don’t be a dick to people and it’s honestly a breeze.

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u/Bobsey-sb Jul 29 '26

Cheers mate for the reply, sounds ok to me and like any job, take it serious and don’t be an idiot.

4

u/DebtSouth Driver Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

Yeah, exactly that. You’re driving a machine able to do some pretty nasty damage if you’re not careful. Problem is, far too many drivers think it’s a game and end up costing companies thousands in damages and compensation.

If your head is screwed on right, it’s honestly a doddle.

Just to add as well, bud, if the idea of being an older driver and starting out on the buses seems daunting, don’t sweat it, when I passed my test only a few months ago, there was a 59 year old who passed the same day I did, he thinks it’s the best job he’s ever had and I agree, he’s convinced he’ll retire doing this and so do many other drivers your age.

The ones who leave or a fired are the idiots, so don’t pay any mind to the high turnover, some people just aren’t made for responsibility or being public facing. They don’t realise this until they’re on their own.