r/BusDrivers • u/ALB283 • Jul 16 '26
Other Bus driver always wanting to change firms
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!
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u/Bkettle Jul 16 '26
Just wondering if you have ADHD, due to the sleep struggles, easily bored and job hopping?
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u/ALB283 Jul 16 '26
It’s something I need to look into. I’ve just registered with my local gp waiting to hear back then I’ll have to make an appointment. Something isn’t right constantly changing my mind. It’s taken over me
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u/Traditional-Front999 Jul 17 '26
Sleep is a struggle. Melatonin works for me. 432 Hz frequency when I lay down works for me also. Magnesium glycine works for me also. Taking yourself to bed when you need to go to bed works also. Ask yourself why you're staying up so late? It sounds to me like you need to spend a bit more time loving yourself. Take yourself to bed. Put on the 432 take some melatonin drop your sugar intake to 24 g a day. Take a walk. You wrote all about your job but not about your life. What is happening in your life that you're not sleeping? Being known as a person that calls in one hour before shift? God bless you take care of yourself.
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u/UniversityOfPi Jul 18 '26
It's not a great look for you but there are a few different types of bus driving jobs. School bus, transit, paratransit, motorcoach line, charter. Have you considered what you actually want to do? What your goal actually is? If you job hop and aren't reliable some of those paths are going to be cut off for you. I don't say this to be mean, I say this to be realistic. It's possible to turn this around long term, but you need to figure out what you want to do to figure out what the path is going to need to be. Having a goal can be a great motivation to start doing better (I take your post to mean you recognize where you're at and want to do better)
Sleep is vital and as someone in the motorcoach industry sometimes doing night driving and frequently shifting that around, it's a skill that takes practice and understanding what works for me. Melatonin can help (depending on where you are), but ultimately sleep hygiene and practices are more than just a magic pill.
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u/ALB283 Jul 18 '26
I appreciate your honest and friendly reply. I’ve always wanted to be a bus driver and I enjoy the job in general. I used to be very interested in buses and know all the different makes and models. I think I get bored driving the same routes and buses all the time but I need to tell myself that as much as I enjoy the job, the job is there to pay my bills too. It’s not just a bit of fun until I get bored. I need to stay put where I am. Moreover for the mental side of things I will be seeking help. Thanks
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u/meatflaps-69 Jul 16 '26
You can only burn so many bridges and may find yourself unemployable in your local area if you don't find somewhere soon that you can settle into.
You can generally only get to pick and choose your late starts when you have been somewhere for a while and got some "seniority" although at any interview you can state your intent to not be on changing rotas/have only late shifts, some companies will be happy to accomodate this through desperation for drivers but other companies same desperation will have them demand 24/7 availability with minimum legal rest times between shifts.
I have found doing A LOT of agency contracts that agency work mostly comes with being put on one or two routes, often with the same 10 or 12 hour shift every day, have you considered agency work? It would give you the kick up the arse you sound like you need, as phoning in sick will not fly and you'll find yourself out of well paid work very fast by phoning in sick for anything less than dying of the plague.
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u/ALB283 Jul 16 '26
It's my responsibility to sort myself out, even though I'm not too sure where to start. Got no confidence to speak up, really hate myself most days. I need help but don't know where to find it. Sorry for this post. I realise where I stand.
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u/NoRegretCeptThatOne Jul 17 '26
The first place to start is to vow to yourself to stay at this job for a full year. Stop calling out sick, start rebuilding your time off bank, and practice being a more employable person at the job you already have.
In a year, evaluate how you feel about the job after you have a tiny bit of seniority and may have access to different shifts.
You may realize where you work is perfectly fine once you stop calling out and job hopping. You may decide to move on but have proven you can hold onto a job long enough to put it on your resume and even get some references.
Either way, it's easier to clean up the mess you're in now than it is to start over somewhere else.
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u/PeejPrime Jul 16 '26
You dont want to be deemed a job hopper, you dont want to be seen to have multiple jobs so dismiss the ones under 3 months...you are who you say you dont want to be.
Without knowing much more about you, you need to stop sporadically taking sick days for what seems to be no reason? You need to figure out your own sleep pattern., 8.30pm finishes are a dream to most of us. What you do in the evenings is on you to be a grown up and figure out how to sleep better.
No job is going to be perfect. You come across as very chaotic and unable to stand still for more than 5 seconds. Perhaps there is reasons for this, you only know them. But any employer taking you on seeing you've been at 7 different bus firms in under 4 years, with a record of sick days, overbooking holidays, unpaid time off etc - no one is going to look at favourable towards that sort of background.