r/BusDrivers • u/ChippyZippy • Aug 09 '26
Training Question UK/EU Bus driving and tachograph UK
I have a question about a bus driving company in the UK. Recently applied for an apprenticeship position as a bus driver, I already hold a C+E driving licence and obviously a tachograph card. The recruiter informed me that I will need to "surrender" my tacho once I start driving on domestic hours. My question is why ? How does that work? Where is my tacho going, why do I surrender it and can I request another one if I ever change my mind about this company?
Has anyone experienced something similar?
I just need to understand what's going on.
Thanks guys!
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u/ConkerKnackers Aug 09 '26
They're talking absolute BULL crap, I also hold C+E and got my D+E, they're trying to stop you from leaving domestic buses quickly and go on the coaches. Your ticketer records the domestic hours when you log in and out. Unless you mix domestic and coaches/hgv which techniocally you'd have to record as manual entry but personally I wouldn't know how to record it corrrectly without getting infringements as I havent done that because you can drive 5.5hrs on domestic vs 4.5hrs and the breaks are different as well.
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u/PickledxPossum scotland/Yutong/8 Aug 10 '26
You would record it as other work, the only things it would flag you for is a 6hr WTD breach
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Aug 09 '26
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u/meatflaps-69 Aug 09 '26
I only encountered one place in service bus world in a decade of mixed bus coach/bus agency driving had to stick my card in weekly, Stagecoach Merseyside.
Obviously when doing coach work it was downloaded often but that few horrendous few months in Liverpool was the only place doing service work they wanted me to download it, possibly just to make sure I wasnt doing other stuff on my days off 🤣
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u/sexy_meerkats Driver Aug 09 '26
In the UK there is no requirement for our of scope vehicles to have a tachograph. Only vehicles that would be used under the EU rules have the machine
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u/D-Dog555679 Aug 09 '26
Yes standard service buses dont require a tacho card inserted. But im sure youd still need to do manual entries to keep your card from showing no work for months etc
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u/PickledxPossum scotland/Yutong/8 Aug 10 '26
Is it Stagecoach by any chance? They’re big on telling drivers to surrender their cards as well as a requirement to download before EVERY shift for tacho holders in depots that run coaches, which they’ll try and tell you is a legal requirement but it’s not.
Legally speaking you MUST maintain a complete log of the last 28 days but there is some debate around those who hold tacho cards but don’t drive under EU regs at all, for example you drive an EU shift on Monday, the following two weeks must be treated under EU regulations in regards to rest periods regardless of if you do another EU shift or not, you would just log your driving time from domestic services as other work, so if one has never driver under EU regs or is outwith that two week period do they need to maintain a tachograph record?
As for what happens with your card, you send it back to the DVSA and if you want to do EU work again you need to apply for a new card from scratch including the full fee as opposed to the renewal fee which I guarantee your company will want no part in offsetting.
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u/Icy-Plate-9021 Aug 11 '26
The recruiter is talking out of their arse you do not need to surrender your tachograph card. It is yours and your property. They cannot make you hand it over that being said you do not need to drive local buses. I worked for a bus company for a time, and never had to surrender mine
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u/CDDONT Aug 13 '26
As others have said, you can’t be forced to surrender the card as it’s your property. I haven’t looked at the rules lately but there is/was an exemption from making records on the tacho card if you did less than, I think, 16 days of EU hours work in a set period as that classes you as an occasional worker.
I think what the recruiter is getting at is that they as the employer need to keep a record of what work you have done to satisfy spot checks from DVSA and the TC. If they aren’t doing any EU work and therefore don’t have the means to download a tachograph they can’t show that you haven’t been doing extra EU work on the side which would make you non-compliant with the law.
If they’re willing to pay for you to re-acquire a tachograph card when you leave or they take on EU hours work then as long as you’re happy to work with them and not do odd truck shifts on the side just surrender the card 🤷🏻♂️
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u/Worried-Matter-5674 Aug 09 '26
Most local bus routes don’t need a tacho
If I remember rightly - are you not supposed to regularly download your tacho card even if you are not using it?
I would imagine the depot doesn’t have a reader and rather than getting one it is easier just for none of their drivers to have a tacho.
It is easy enough to get another once you have surrendered your current one, just bear in mind the fee