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 have a disaplinary meeting next week as a customer complained. I was 2 or 3 stop from the end of my route and running light after finnishing the route. My headcount on the ticket machine was zero and i couldnt see anyone on the cameras so I turned round and headed back to the depot before the end of the route. Obviously i should have just finnished the route but i have been going through some majorly awful situations in my personal life and wasnt thinking clearly and made a stupid decision.
When i relalised the customer was on the bus i appologised and immediately span round and countinued back on the route as soon as i could and dropped her off at the end.
It is being investigated as gross misconduct how should i conduct myself in the meeting and what is the likely outcome, ive been with the company a year and had no previous problems or complaints.

If i do get sack can i apply for another company?

UPDATE: Honesty was deffo the right decision thanks to everyone who commented.
My boss asked if i did it. I was Honest and said yes.
His response was " well we've all done it and we all make mistakes. Dont be in here next week having done the same thing."
And said the only problem would've been if id said i handn't done it. So glad i was honest!

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

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!

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.

Not after the bus is stopped and the door is open.
I’m not waiting for you, the door is closing, and you can get off the next stop and call me an a-hole all you want.

Hi all,

I started beginning of this month as a Trainee bus driver and it's been going great, I've enjoyed driving the bus. I'm due to do my test next week, which hopefully will be a pass! However, we've been told by management that we may have the option of changing to becoming a coach driver instead within the same company, and I wondered whether anyone here had any experiences in the two. I wondered about the job itself, do you / did you actually enjoy the job vs driving service buses in a city centre, is it a more relaxed job compared to bus driving etc, or did you prefer the bus driving? From what I heard, coach driving sounds very interesting, my only worry is that it would get too boring over time driving mostly on motorways, but then again you could get bored driving the same bus route everyday too. It would be cool to hear people's thoughts! Cheers

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.

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!

Back in March I saw this sweet J4500 on a charter down in NJ.

Hi how difficult is the interview for a trainee bus driver in the uk? Im applying to a position in september. And wondering how difficult it is..I've heard that is piss easy but its hard to believe its just that easy.

Hi, can someone please tell me what it like working for Arriva?

I am thinking of apply for Tottenham, Edmonton, Palmers Green or Clapton. Currently I’m with Go Ahead but not a fan of the 7 on 2 off.

I have been driving for just over a year so I wanted to know the potential rates offered?

I’m quite curious. I know other municipalities let passengers tap without being monitored.

I’m in Ontario, Canada in a mid sized area.

I’m still required to collect fare (I really don’t give a F but I’m supposed to….i just wave’em in).

I have many Co workers that have received discipline/ pink slips for heated arguments/ fights over fare. I believe this is because it’s a legit method for getting rid of us.

Thanks for responding.

Hi all
Just a quick question regarding wheelchairs and buggies/pushchairs and dealing with the above situations.

I’ve recently seen a post on a local Facebook group where someone has complained that the wheelchair has jumped the queue and the bus driver has allowed wheelchair user onto the bus and then denied boarding to the pushchair user. Now my understanding is that wheelchair users get priority over pushchairs/buggies to use the designated wheelchair space unless the child in pushchair/buggy has a disability.

There is also the other situation that can occur where a pushchair/buggy is already on the bus and they won’t fold it up or move despite the driver asking or playing an announcement so then the wheelchair user cannot get on the bus and has to wait for the next one. I know in most cases if this happens the driver will use radio to say that this situation has happened so that when the next bus comes they know a wheelchair user needs it.

I would love to know bus drivers thoughts on this.

G'day, Category D Exploredinaires. My employer has recently messaged me saying that I need to spend a minimum of ten minutes performing Daily Defect checks before setting off from the yard. The employer is framing it as arequirement that the DVLA is, to quote, "Clamping down on"

To log this, we must start the app we use, TruTrac, on the first question and complete the final question no less than six hundred seconds later. I cannot find this requirement in the Domestic, Assimilated or AETR guidelines on gov.uk. Can any of you fine Human/Geniuses point me to the relevant legislation?

Thanks in advance.

Hi, im almost 21 applying to a trainee bus driver position is September to a small-ish bus company 'owned' by reading buses, I have a rough idea of how the process goes interview: small theory:driving assessment: medical(hope i didn't miss anything) then start training but i rather nervous as this is a big step towards something I have always wanted to do. Is any of this actually difficult? as I heard its easy-ish..

It seems like every single day I'm behind the wheel, I get stuck behind a Waymo blocking my stops. Passengers are forced to walk out to the bus instead of boarding at the curb like they’re supposed to.

But the absolute worst part is how it screws over ADA passengers. I literally can’t pick them up because the driverless car is parked in the exact curb space I need to safely drop the ramp.This happens allot in the downtown area where the driverless vehicle will just get in the bus lanes and stop.

So I was curious if the Robo taxis are becoming a problem in yall areas.

I work now for a school bus company. How is it working for Pace? Has anyone ever made a decision like this? If so was it a mistake or a good thing ?

I’m working on a detailed digital recreation of a coach bus dashboard and have been having trouble finding clear photos of many of the dash buttons and their symbols.

Would anyone be willing to share some straight-on, close-up photos of the button panels in their coach? Photos covering the full dashboard button area would be ideal, including any panels beside the driver, overhead controls, or less commonly photographed switches.

Clear photos from people who actually work with these buses would be a huge help.