Bus Driver Review

I am a bus driver, and my job involves driving a bus, doing one of the ten routes I cover, and trying to provide the best passenger experience I can. Any job working with the public has it's challenging moments, but on the whole, the job is very enjoyable.

I've learnt how to drive a bus, which was initially really hard, but once you got used to it, is ok. Having worked with the public before, I've just refreshed and sharpened my customer service skills, and also remembered how to deal with the more 'challenging' passengers.

The programme has been spread over about 14 months, initially based in Exeter, which was not ideal, but the latter stages were based in Plymouth, which was better. Some of it was inevitably booring, as it was stuff I already knew, but some of it was interesting, even when covering areas I thought I already knew. Good trainers can make most thinks interesting.

I feel the program would, in a perfect world, be very well structured and organised, but in the real world, that's difficult to do. The balance between the needs of the business, and being able to be released for the training, meant that there were sometimes long gaps between sessions, but that's no-one's fault, just the way the real world works.

I received plenty of support from my employer, when they were able to release me to do the training! Balancing business needs against training needs proved to be challenging for them, and I appreciate that they tried their best. But when I was able to be released, then everything was fine.

All the support I needed was made available by Realise. all the trainers were great, friendly, knowledgeable and as helpful as they could be. The equipment needed was all provided, the training was done at a pace were every one was comfortable, and they tried to make it as enjoyable as possible.

The qualification itself doesn't really help my perform my role any better, but there were plenty of little bits of knowledge picked up, and stories related to us, that have definitely helped me in my role. Even when you think you know everything about a subject, there is always something new to learn!

Unfortunately, these kind of activities don't really occur, as the shift patterns, and the radically different times, and days of work, mean that it would be very hard to co-ordinate such things. The working day covers twenty one hours a day, and that's seven days a week, so logistically, it would be very hard.

Yes

Because on the whole, this job has more good days than bad. The money is reasonable, there's always extra work available if you want to earn more, and the vast majority of the staff are good people. And when you get yourself on the rota you like, then the hours aren't too bad either.

Just read up about what the job is about, and what it entails, and if it's for you, then just apply. It's quite a friendly place, and most are more than happy to help when asked. So if you want decent money, and are prepared to work outside the 9-5 structure, give it a go.