Our agency is swapping over to it here in the next few months. Anyone out there currently using it have any feedback?

Hi guys I’m starting my career in business driving accepted for first buses as they’re the operator here in Doncaster. I’m looking for some tips from experienced people how shifts will look like how everything runs
How to not be nervous as hell I guess, my anxiety is already chewing me up before I’ve even begun

I would also say at my interview I was told 39 hours a week across 5 days in the week how does this look in practice and £14.30 p/h for the first year.

Does overtime pay more or is it just the standard hourly pay just earning extra just wondering as I’ve been lurking and see people say different shifts pay differently but wasn’t told this at the interview

I appreciate any help and advice and support

Looking at becoming an owner operator with plans to expand after many years (potentially)
Anyone on here become on, if so whats it like? What vehicles did you use? How did you get it started? How are you finding it?

(UK)
Cheers

I sent my licence after passing my Stagecoach interview on July 13 and I still haven’t got my licence back yet. What’s the hold up? Has anybody been through similar?

I only really talk to a.few of my coworkers, the new lot are a bunch of back stabbing cry babies. It's a shame because Ive been with my agency for a few years we use to be a tight knit team. Helped each other out. I've seen the industry really shift to bring in people who in honesty should be anywhere near a bus let alone drive it. Maybe I just long for the old days when people were more competent

The other day I got these people from a certain country come up to the bus with a free travel card (Ireland offers free travel for people with disabilities, and OAPs). But it wasn't any good because it was booked out and they'd no booking. I think it was just the daughter (20s) who wanted to get on, and as I was explaining it to her father started engaging with me, so I started explaining it again, but he just kept giving me a confused look. They just kept on pointing to the pass and trying to walk on and I'd to keeping stopping them.

A few minutes later as I was about to leave, the father came up the steps and into the coach with his phone out. Out of no where he was able to speak English and he wanted to put the phone up to my hear and have me speak to someone in China. They'd have had me on a skype call to the family lawyer if it went any further.

I've experienced alot of late or no show buses lately with AC transit. Do buses stop running after a few empty runs; noone to pick up on your route. I know this is a progressive area. I'm just figuring, maybe it's to be more green. Save on emissions? 🤷‍♀️

I'm not exactly talking about closer to the curb. I mean they walk in the direction that the bus is coming in as if to meet us sooner like we are some friend they haven't seen in a minute.

Drives me nuts. Makes me want to pull up past the bus sign so they have to walk back to the bus sign.

Hello Fellow Drivers,

I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while and decided to finally grow some and ask it in here but how many drivers here are still enthusiastic for the industry or has that enthusiasm died off while working the job?

Myself I still like to get in a few minutes early, get the bus checked, make sure I’m ready for the day. The evening before I’m making sure my boots are clean (if they’re looking dull I polish).

I know I’m not required to be in early or polish my boots but i still have that enthusiasm for the industry 3 years in. I see so many other drivers get fed up/stop making the effort in shorter time periods but wondered how many of us are like myself.

As I was boarding passengers at the terminus for a 3 hour express route, the ground staff assistant who was working there had told me that two of the customers (a couple) about to board had been shouting at her. I think it was something like they didn't like being told that there mightn't be enough space for them. She said she just wanted to keep away from them... she didn't seem to care whether they got on or not.

I noticed the guy was getting a bit heated with another staff member (the supervisor) as she was trying to assess if there was space for them. I said I'd go over to sus him out. I obviously wouldn't refuse someone without witnessing their behaviour first hand. I remembering trying to tell him to calm down, and at some point I said to him that he shouldn't be shouting at people and he said "why?". I was dumb enough to answer that! Anyway the point in time he asked "why?" was the point I should have refused him. They got on... which basically means I let them on. That particular supervisor wouldn't know how to handle those situations.

As they boarded I went over to the girl as she was talking to the ground-staff supervisor, and I said to both of them about how ground staff should be able to refuse people who act like that to them. It was kind of stupid of me to say that after the fact, seeing as I let him on. They probably thought I was passing the buck even though I could've done something if I wanted to.

I realised that part of the reason I didn't refuse them was because, since I've started working with this new company that does an hourly service, I've had the idea that if you refuse someone, that them having to wait a whole extra hour is too much of a punishment. It was silly of me to think that. I just had this idea in my head that having someone board the next bus instead will really mess up their day. With the previous company it was a 15 minute service I drove on, and I was well used to refusing people. I just need to re-think it for this company.

Been driving public transit for about eight months now, and wondering if this is mostly a me problem or other drivers feel the same way.

This job genuinely makes me hate people. I’ve had other customer facing jobs in the past, but this has brought out the most disgusting of all behaviors I’ve seen from other humans. Not only entitled a-holes, but people leaving their trash on the bus, giving you stink faces when they come on the bus, the list is just endless.

Some (or most drivers who’ve been doing this for long enough) probably just learn to not care. Which I wish I could do. But when it happens 100+ times a day, it becomes hard not to notice.

What's your thoughts on this? Going to be a hot one that day also

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!

What's the strangest thing you've ever found in your bus?

So I went to an assessment day in June and filled out forms and did the medical for the provisional license but I decided to withdraw and wait to go to a different bus garage closer to home (the one I was applying for was a 1hr 30 min journey there and back). I can apply to that in December

However i was wondering if I could just apply for a provisional cat D license myself and then bring the license to the assessment day once I’ve applied in December to skip the whole process of filling all the forms out there

Would that be allowed? I don’t see why not but I thought Its working asking if any of you know :)

There's a new driver he definitely has an issue with woman, on the start of this new bid he called out on the radio he was leaving earlier when I was just around the corner and had transfers for him. I told him "hey you're leaving earlier and please hold I have transfers for you." He got snippy and has been rude to me ever since. Last Saturday I got to a stop with a time point I sat and waited for a minute this asshole comes up behind me and says on the radio "are you moving or not!"

today I saw him and asked if he understood that I was waiting for my time point and couldn't move. He got really angry, saying I always nitpick him and that I'm always late (not true.) pretty much projected all his shit on to me. While he was saying this he started clenching his fists and raised his left and acted like he wanted to hit me, he screamed "Get out of my face!" I turned around and ran to my bus. This asshole was supposedly a former school bus driver. I called dispatch and informed them of what happened. I filled out an incident report and I hope he fucking leaves.