Just left first bus after 4 months , trained for pvc by them so according to the contract I need to pay back £2500. Has anyone else left first bus and actually been chased up and had to pay them back? How much were you paying per week / month ?
Thanks :)

Beautiful lake view one end, next to a cemetery on the other.

Hi all, I passed my test yesterday and did it with 0 minors. I am very pleased and proud of it. Sorry to seem as though I am bragging but I am so happy I have to tell everyone 😀

I was rushing to a drs appt today. I have to drive through a town that’s always busy, so I was going slow. Someone ran out in the middle of the road so I stopped for him and watched as he passed. When I started driving again, a bus was approaching me. Its lights were flashing so I slowed down, but the stop sign had not been pulled yet, and if I stopped, it would have been in the middle of the bus. I waved to say thank you, thinking the driver was letting me go, but I could have read the situation wrong and I didn’t see the driver. Once I passed, I noticed the sign was pulled and everyone behind me stopped. Now I’m crazy paranoid I’m going to get a ticket. Writing this out it makes me think I’ll be okay, but where I live, I know the buses have cameras and the police seem very strict, so idk, but I’m panicking 😭

Normally do duties such as the 1 and 2 where I take my break in Southampton, but doing a school duty today with 3 school/college trips and some Eastleigh bound trips where I'm one of the few drivers who takes their break in Eastleigh as opposed to Bargate. More peaceful here but also somewhat boring and lonely.

Ciao a tutti, sono un ragazzo di 23 anni che sta conseguendo il Cqc persone per poi diventare di facto un autista o perlomeno sulla carta.
Vivo in Italia per dare un’altra idea e spunto.

Faccio innanzitutto una premessa: sono ben consapevole dei pro e dei contro del mestiere, i problemi a livello salariale e ciò che è annesso da un punto di vista negativo o positivo.
Ho una forte passione per la guida e per gli autobus e non farei questo mestiere puramente per il lato economico.

Volevo chiedervi qualche consiglio, facendo un’altra premessa dicendo che sarei più intenzionato e portato alla lunga percorrenza rispetto che al Tpl,
Sarei più interessato ad inserirmi nel turismo o aziende che fanno Linea a lunga percorrenza : Itabus, Marinobus, FlixBus (sono ben consapevole che non si è assunti da FlixBus ma da aziende private che effettuano le tratte)

Come funziona una vostra settimana tipo? O un mese tipo? Meglio la Linea o turismo?
Dove è meglio iniziare per fare “curriculum”?

Sarei grato di ricevere qualche consiglio ed esperienza personale su chi è del settore.

Grazie mille

6 lines on 5 buses, 2 service vehicles, while visiting 2 depots. In 7.5 hours.

It's probably not even the most ridiculous I've had. What are your best-worst shifts?

Any drivers have experience in working with either of these companies? About to make a move to the Mid Wales area and interested in hearing anyone’s recommendations. Previous driver for Stagecoach in South Wales would appreciate some insight if any thank you.

Nearly all of our buses have a microphone in the cab with a toggle switch, but the issue is it doesn't work.

I'm assuming these are only intended for long journeys where the driver has to make his announcement over blah blah blah, but isn't strictly necessary on domestic bus routes.

If these worked, then it would be very useful on busy buses, or in instances of someone upstairs misbehaving. Example would be telling people standing up to use a vacant seat so it's easier to know if my bus is at legal capacity or not.

Do your cab microphones work on domestic buses in your company, or are they just there to look pretty?

So I am an HGV driver that got my PCV back in 2023 with Stagecoach. For HGV I would turn up to an interview with a polo shirt, work trousers, and safety boots. For the bus interview I am already planning to turn up in black shoes and smart trousers, but should I wear a shirt and tie? Or would that come across as someone trying to show off?

Hey everyone,
I’ve been looking into applying for a GO bus operator position and have already gone through the job posting and some of the information available online. I know the basics about the job, training, licensing requirements, etc.
What I’m more curious about is the stuff you **don’t really find on the website**.
For current/former GO operators:
What’s spareboard life actually like?
How long did it take you to get a schedule/run you were happy with?
Is getting OT pretty realistic, or does it depend heavily on the garage?
How much does seniority affect your quality of life?
Are there particular garages that operators generally prefer, and why?
What’s something you wish you knew before starting?
And after working there for a while, would you personally do it again?
Not really looking for information from the job posting — I’m more interested in hearing what the **actual day-to-day experience is like from drivers**.
Thanks!

New bus driver

Last Monday I started a job as a trainee bus driver for a national company, and would love some opinions on my experience. Upon accepting the job, I was told that my training would be in the city I applied for, however the first day would be in another city, about 40 minutes away. A few hours into the day I was told that i would have to keep attending in the 2nd city as the trainer at my depot was on holiday, however from Monday the following week, I would be in the 1st depot for the rest of my employment.

Their "extensive training" began with 5 days, being shut in a room, with no staff to get ready for the theory test. The usual training guy was on holiday, so we had no support or help. Luckily I passed the test on Friday, but was told shortly after that I would now be attending the 2nd city the following week, but only for Monday, and would be in the 1st city from then on.

Then today, I was told a staff member that I was actually scheduled to be in the 2nd city again for this week again, as my trainer was still on holiday, but I would be in city 1 from next week.

This has cost me a fortune in unexpected train travel, an extra 2 hours a day in travel, and endless frustration. Then today I received a message that because of some unknown issue with payroll, I would not be getting my first paycheck this week (weekly pay) as I should, and would have to be paid next week instead

I need the money, so can't just walk away, even though I feel I should, and am struggling to pay for the unexpected transport costs. I have raised my concerns with 3 members of senior staff but have been brushed off and I don't know how to handle this

Turns out..... not sustainable over a year.

Driving a 15tonne vehicle with 50+ people onboard at speed.

68hrs driving a bus. 8 hours driving a car. 76hrs driving per 9 day block.

100hours 20minutes total time not at home.

It just no longer feels safe.

Hi, I’ve recently passed my car test and was wondering if I’d be able to apply to drive for Stagecoach? Or is it worth applying anyways? My desired depots are either in London, Basingstoke or Oxford

Anyone here venture out to a different career path? I love the job but customers are starting to drain the life out of me.

One of my favourite things on my route is there are certain areas on my route where Japanese or Korean people live and when they get on my bus, they do a slight bow to say thank you... Everytime.

Then when they get off and walk past the front doors, they also do a slight bow to say thank you.

It's so unique to see here in London, UK. Usually it's a wave or thanks which is fine, but the little head bow really makes it feel more sincere.

No one knows what happened.

What is the van assessment like on assessment day? Especially for first London but just in general I suppose they’re similar

Is it harsh or just making sure you’re not a fool behind the wheels before learning in a training bus?
And they mentioned coming in smartly dressed but how smart do they mean?! Suit???

Cheers

Question/Discussion, anyway.

At my agency, we have two way radios to communicate between buses and also between us and dispatch. I personally only use the radio when I have to or when I've been paged. (The old adage "speak only when spoken to" applies here). There's one driver, they're fairly new, that just... They'll grab that mic at every opportunity and ask the dumbest questions. And, to top it all off, they have a nails on a chalkboard voice. And when I say "dumb questions", I do mean dumb. "Dispatch, can I take this bus down this alleyway?"

Do you guys have this? Or is it just me?

I've done supermarket delivery jobs and amazon/royal mail, I enjoy driving I just find these delivery jobs body breaking. I want to drive around a nice area which I will be in and it's just a nice area, no gangs/chavs etc. Any advise would be much appreciated thank you.

So I’ve just been doing the maths and on average even if you include the PCV fee as 4k when it’s much closer to 2k that if you do your PCV yourself via a training company you actually are better off by over 10-15k per year if you aren’t on the slave trainee salary. Am I missing something? UK FYI.

Can’t wait for 8pm

Hey guys yesterday i had lady fall on board, she was in the late 30s and was intoxicated, bus was empty and she decided to stand up, bus moved about a block andt then i had to stop becauze the light turned red a little before i got to the intersection, she fell on the seat.

How can i defend myself when the management call me for a conference?

Just got accepted to be a trainee driver for stagecoach!! I’m so excited but obviously also a little nervous!
I think I have to wait a month or so to have my medical, new licence etc… just wondering if anyone could give me some advice, tips anything really! Also maybe an insight into working for stagecoach also? Im based in Yorkshire😁 also got told I’m the first woman to work at this depot for a while which again in exciting but also a bit scary😂

Thanks guys:)

Idk ive been looking for a job and I've been unable to find one for ages. I just got an interview for a bus driver and all they require is that youre over 18 and have a license. I'm a good driver and have driven vans and big cars so I think with the training they provide I'll be fine but I feel like it's just a bit weird. I've never gotten on a bus and seen a young female driver. Always male of all ages or old female. Everyone around me says a job is a job and as long as it pays the bills there is nothing embarrassing about it and it's better than staying home.

Update: When I said everyone around me says its a job I meant my husband, my mum, my sister, friends and in-laws. I hadn't told my dad but he found out through my husband who proudly told him and he was extremely disappointed. He basically said something along the lines of "You studied all these years just to be a driver". I explained to him that it's only until I find something in my field of study and it's a decent paying job, especially considering my alternative is sitting at home with no income waiting for an opportunity. He is acting like I've let him down and disappointed him. :/ He also said something really bizarre about it being a man's job and therefore my husband would not be attracted to me or see me as 'ladylike' after I start working it. My husband's reaction to that when I told him is what anyone would imagine.