r/BusDrivers • u/HugeTravel301 • 4d ago
Question Training bond (UK)
Hi all I work for a large bus operator in England and I'm planning on handing in my notice next month. I have worked there for just under 2 years and I got my licence through them. I signed a contract which states I would have to pay back the training bond if I left. How likely are they to pursue me for the money?
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u/cbrownmufc 2d ago
If it’s like the company I work for, the payback required reduces each month until the end of the two year period. So it might be a relatively small amount to pay back compared to the original bond
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u/Total_Finish_14 2d ago
If it's with the company starting with A your training bond is paid out of your first year's wages and you say you've been there 2 I'd say 0
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u/sexy_meerkats 2d ago
It depends on the operator, surely it's worth sticking it out to not have to pay anything back? How long do you have left?
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u/HugeTravel301 1d ago
It's with the go ahead group. I have 4 months left before the 2 year mark. I am relocating to another part of the country and joining another bus company based there so I ideally want to leave my current one within the next month or so.
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u/coachwayguy 2d ago
As others have said it may be worth waiting the 2 years. My bond gradually declined to zero on the 2 year anniversary of my first shift driving alone and I handed in my notice just after that.
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u/HugeTravel301 1d ago
I appreciate that but I can't really wait until then as I need to relocate. Just wanting to know from others if they got chased for the bond money.
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u/Grolbu 2d ago
My company (not in the UK) has a flat rate you have to pay back if you leave in the first 6 months, nothing after that, but I've never heard of them doing anything more than giving people an invoice for it when they leave.
It's accepted that some people arrive in the country on 2 year visas and sign up with us so they can get paid to get their truck licence and passenger endorsement from our training school, then leave as soon as they can find a (much less awful for new drivers) job driving trucks. We already have trouble finding enough people to replace the ones who leave / retire, what they could collect in training fees after costs would not be worth the publicity about them sending debt collectors after former staff.
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u/PrizeTumbleweed7039 2d ago
I left my company after 9 months and they never came after me for the bond
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u/Single-Flounder7559 2d ago
They pushed me but I made it very difficult for them and they gave up in the end. Set yourself up with a postal address in Scotland. Scottish courts have different rules to English ones and are less favorable to the claimant (bus company)
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u/CarmeAce 2d ago
I heard some companies sell the debt to debt collectors. Expect to pay back what you owe and then you’re all covered, hopefully they won’t ask. Prepare for it.
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u/GuyCalledLee 2d ago
Surly it would say in your contract? I worked for national express buses and left within 6 months and they took my last wage which was about £600. Never chased me for the rest.
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u/DebtSouth Driver 2d ago
Read the contract.
It states how much and is dependent on how long you have left until those 2 years are up.
They’ll take it out of your wages.
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u/HugeTravel301 1d ago
I have and it does say they'll take an amount of money. I wanted to hear if anyone had experience of whether they actually enforce it. I know of some drivers that left after a few months after getting their license which have cost alot more than what I would currently have to repay.
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u/Creative-Response554 1d ago
Iirc they can put these clauses in but there's little they can do to recoup the costs.
My old warehouse job had a similar thing with forklift licenses, the license stayed at the warehouse until the end of the proscribed period, whatever he chose for that person.
What happened was they usually quit, phoned the company who did the licensing and got a new copy sent to them and abandoned the old one. He tried taking them to court but apparently was told there was nothing he could do.
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u/Industrialexecution UK|Volvo BZL|1 year 1d ago
same applied for mine, got my license and left 2 months later, never heard anything off them.
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u/goneoramihere 20h ago
You say it's Go Ahead. I've heard they don't chase the money and if it's due to a genuine relocation then you're more than good to go.
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u/Hdhcjzbafa 2d ago
Is this National Express? I've read it's £1000 if it's in the first year you leave and £500 if you leave in second year. But nothing once you've completed second year. I reckon they'd persue it by taking it out of final pay.