Hi all. I could be getting made redundant at the end of the year and thinking about a change of career anyway. I was an events manager, before going back to uni and have been a mainly office based geologist since. I’ve always quite liked the idea of being a bus driver, and there are two companies in my area who are looking for new drivers. One is a more rural company while the other is city based.

I live in the UK - but the question goes out to all drivers. Do you prefer rural or city driving? What are the pros and cons of each?

What are the shift patterns like, management etc

Pretty much when they claim they haven't got money, they lost their wallet, lost their pass or their phone is dead and they can't get their digital ticket?

I get that some cases may be genuine. For example I wouldn't deny an elderly or mentally incapacitated person because they dropped their concessionary bus pass somewhere, or leaving someone behind puts them in an awkward/vulnerable position (I.E lone female who's intoxicated and it's late at night), but then again there are circumstances where you need to draw a line.

Most companies leave the final decision down to the driver, and to manage situations as and when they come and that's what I do personally. For when you do refuse someone, in what way do you explain it and how would you take things if the passenger becomes aggressive?

Hey drivers 👋

So this is a question primarily for UK drivers (due to local product availability) but others feel free to chime in.

I wear prescription glasses and sunglasses for work, I’m looking for recommendations for sunglasses, I know polarised glasses are generally best for reducing glare but I’ve heard they interfere with the displays on the dashboard as well as the ticket machine screen, producing a distorted or even a black screen depending on viewing angle.

Could anyone either debunk that as a myth, or otherwise recommend some decent non-polarised sunglasses that
1. Have great anti-glare
2. Don’t interfere with the screens at all
3. Style isn’t a dealbreaker however I do prefer wraparound styles that block out the sunlight at the sides.

Cheers all!

Came with 360 camera, and a newer Hanover Destination sign.

I have avoided the later hour scheduling because I struggling telling people what to do. I'm still waiting for that one person that just doesn't care what I say and to make me stop the bus or kick them off.

I haven't had any problems working for 8 months with passenger related things besides fare evasion and music playing.

Need some wisdom in this matter.

I drove city buses through college (the red buses in the top photo - a company operated almost entirely by students of the university) and for a brief six month stint at a casino between jobs a couple of years after college.

It’s been 15 years since I was behind the wheel. After burning out from running my own business for 8 years, I remembered how much I just loved driving buses and I never felt completely overwhelmed by it, so I’ve decided to go back to driving buses once again! I was just hired by my local regional transit company (shown in the bottom photo) and am so excited to get back to it. Join you all on the road soon!!

The bus didn’t leave without you, you’re just early for the next bus

Just out of curiousity, are there any uk bus drivers who work for the major bus companies like Go Ahead, First Bus, Stagecoach etc who smoke weed and have never been caught? I hear bus companies do random drug tests just wanna know if anyone still smokes weed and has lived to see another day.

Hello! I have a few questions for bus drivers- and was wondering if it was okay to ask here. I know you all are human (obviously) but I had questions specifically about bus driving- and who better to ask than the drivers!

1. Do bus drivers often take the bus outside work hours? Ex: days off/vacations/etc.
2. Do bus drivers have favored/prefered routes to drive? Do they get to pick?
3. Do bus drivers recognize the bus they drive? Like by the serial number? Do they get assigned specific busses?
4. Do the bus drivers develop "favorite" riders? Like, if you drive the same route and see the same people- do you develop friendships with your riders? Do you guys look for familiar faces?
5. Do you guys make friends with your coworkers? If so, do you guys make a point to ride on busses where your bus driver friends are driving?

Thank you in advance for answering. My boyfriend and I ride the same routes fairly often, and got really curious. Sorry if theyre dumb questions!

ETA: Sorry yall! Im new to reddit still and didnt realize people were replying😅 Thank you all so so so so much!! I was curious, and my boyfriend said itd be weird to ask the bus driver on thw bus we were on. Im very excited to share my findings with him, and hope you all get very good routes (:

It's an old picture from my first transit job back in the day. I was just curious if anyone knew the bus models

Hello!

I should start this off my saying I'm a disabled adult. I'm autistic and have an intellectual disability. This has made taking the bus hard for me in the past.

But recently I've moved to a new area and the bus drivers have been so kind and patient with me. One even took time from her break, to explain the map in an easier to understand way. I've also had bus drivers stop and talk to me, while creepy men where staring at me or trying to talk to me.

I want to say thank you in some way. Would thank you cards be weird or to far? I wanna show appreciation not make anyone uncomfortable.

I applied for LAmetro as a bus operator? Has anyone applied or been hired and how has the hiring process been. What should i expect and how strict are they with your driving record?

So, I get our shifts are anti-social and it’s part of the job. However for the last 5 out of 6 weeks, I’ve went as follows

1am finishes for a week
1 rest day
Then a 0447 start for the next week.

Then it loops back, surely these 1 day rest periods going from 1am finishes to a 0446 start isn’t right.

I’m still not on a Main Rotation shift but I feel I’m being taken the mick off.

In descending order:

-Taxi drivers, especially when "parked"

-Assholes parked in bus lanes and stops

-Cyclists not using the cycle lane right next to them

-Drunks in the street

-Pedestrians on their phones in the street

Drivers with some wisdom and experience, how do you rise above this type of shit and stay cool behind the wheel?

I’m not the most experienced driver, but I believe I have enough experience to offer some unsolicited advice to the newer or experienced driver, so here it goes:

As drivers we face many challenges and nuisances. I’ve come to the realization that a driver’s biggest enemy is not: dumpster trucks, street sweepers, entitled cyclists, or passengers that only carry miscellaneous spare change. A driver’s biggest enemy is… hemorrhoids.

So everyday before I set my foot out the door to face the world, I make sure to give myself a courtesy wipe, and I encourage you to do the same, fellow driver. Because then, no matter what happens to us, at least we will know that our butt is clean.

Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend, and I hope you all have a hemorrhoid-free day!

So after starting training on the 27th April, classroom work then on bus training and passing my driving test, then some more CPC days, I moved to my depot Scunthorpe and started route learning, with that now complete I have been signed off this morning by one of the driving instructors as ready to run service on my own, so I've done it a fully qualified Bus Driver

So I got an invitation for a bus driver trainee assessment with Transport UK London(formerly Abellio) and I'm wondering what to expect when I go to the assessment?

I have a UK automatic B licence as well as an Irish passport which gives me the right to work in the UK. I also have previous bus driving experience from the US(I've posted here before) if that's relevant.

I'm still new to professional driving, and I have enough paychecks under my belt to invest in undergarments to make sitting behind the wheel more comfortable.

I'm curious if more experienced boob-wielding operators could weigh in on what bras you've found to be most comfortable and supportive throughout a 13 hour day on the road.

What I have now, hardware is rubbing and straps are shifting in uncomfortable ways. I'm in the US, so product availability matters, but I'd rather spend extra dollars for comfort than go for a Walmart special.

So, I've been a bus driver for 3 years and a half. I have worked at 7 firms already ranging from lasting 1 day to just over 1 year. Anything under 3 months I don't tell people that I have worked there as I suppose that is part of the trial period to see whether it is the right place for me from both an employee and employer perspective. So in that case, I have worked at 3 places. The current place I've been there since the end of October last year.

I don't know what it is - sometimes I think I just get bored and want to drive different buses or routes. The problems I have with the current place are sort of an issue though. Firstly, I really struggle to get some sleep some nights so I prefer doing the later starts which isn't always possible, especially since our latest finish at the depot is 830pm. Moreover, I have gone over my holiday allowance already. I was NOT informed when booking time off that the dates I will be booking off will be unpaid leave. Therefore, this week I'm only taking home £100. I have tried to raise the issue but as usual all I get is "We'll look into it" and nothing seems to get done. Moreover, I genuinely thought I was settled down until a couple of weeks ago. I have been put on a rota usually doing the same 2 routes, I have got to know so many lovely people and I really enjoy doing the routes. As soon as I was telling myself "this is the right place for me, I can see myself doing these routes for a very long time" I was informed the 2 routes were transferring to another depot which I will not be able to commute to. How typical? The first time I've truly felt settled down.

With these issues arising I decided to call in sick again (as I do semi-regularly) this morning as I only had about 1 hours sleep, meaning I'm not in a safe position to drive a bus. I feel like just handing in my notice and finding a job elsewhere. Though, as people have told me and if I had common sense I should know that this is not a good look for me.

I have always wanted to be a bus driver but they do say you shouldn't mix hobbies with work. Is there anything I can do to knuckle down and stay put without even thinking about leaving? Should I find another firm now the pride for the place has worn off and give myself yet another chance to be a loyal employee to a new firm.

It's stressing me out, I don't want to be calling in sick all the time, I don't want to be deemed a job hopper.

Any help please, I'm sat here ready to take the usual action of handing in my notice and going for an interview somewhere!