Bus driver interview - Question

[TopCat]

Thanks, I've been alcohol free for about 6 years now and because i used to work on London Underground I'm used to the random tests.

I'll keep the drug habit for my retirement :-D

and for me life is about 10 years. Or less if i can accumulate enough cash so i can buy myself a little flat somewhere.

Get a reputation as polite, reliable, well presented and eventually this will be noticed and a plum charter coach job will get dangled.

 

[MickiQ]

just another thought on the nat ex thing -

national express do own / operate some coaches themselves (and also have an increasing number of coach operators they own - Kings Ferry of north kent, and Clarkes of sydenham are two that come to mind) but most coach routes are franchised out to other bus / coach operators.

if it's the latter, there is a risk of getting transferred to a new operator if the franchise changes hands - at the moment there's EU derived law that says (generally) you have the legal right to transfer on current terms / conditions / continuous employment, but with coach operations, it might be more than a couple of miles down the road (i knew a couple of people who did nat ex driving then were entitled to transfer when the nat ex route they did changed hands - but new base was about 40 miles away so they said no, one went back bus driving the other went to a local coach firm.) may be something to bear in mind.

Bus driver is in the same category as things like truck drivers, electricians, plumbers or nurses. Transferable skill that is in high demand.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Yeah, but i noticed something similar in the Stagecoach contract so I think it could happen either way. I like to think I'm in such a position that i could just walk away if they put me in that position - and almost certainly pick up work elsewhere. I've only got a about 3/4 years to do to ensure i get a full pension and after that I'm quite keen to go part time either with NX or with whoever.

NX offered me a job this week too and I passed the medical so I think I'm going with NX to start in August. Somehow the idea of learning to drive a coach thrills me more than the bus, and the idea that i could end up driving across the country or into Europe is quite exciting too. I'm not really tied down to Dover, and at some point I will be considering a move up north, maybe even to Scotland. I'm just going to see where the wind takes me so to speak. A year ago I couldn't see a way to keep living I was so deep in grief, and now i see many open doors. So its all good.

My training will be at Gillingham, out of the Kings Ferry depot. Four weeks intensive training. Then I'll back at Dover for on the job training with a mentor.

hope all goes well.

if coach work appeals to you, then go for it. it's not everybody's thing, but then we are all different...

kings ferry have been around quite a while, and are now owned by national express (nat ex tend only to use the 'white coach' identity for the scheduled nat ex services, but have been buying up coach companies for a few years now.)

not sure i'd know where to start with one of these fancy new coaches - they have far too many buttons and switches for my taste (i did my training / test on a 1970s bus built to late 50s technology, and for various 'conflict of interest' reasons, most of my fairly limited driving has been with heritage buses)

don't know what the attitude is like towards part time driving now - until fairly recently, the only part time drivers tended to be semi-retired and given old and knackered buses for school runs and maybe occasional rail replacement, but a lot of that generation haven't kept their licence up during / after covid. some bits of the industry are reluctantly moving in to the current century...

You will get drug swabbed a lot. Plus all of the coaches have a breathalyser device attached to the ignition.

yes - although it can occasionally decide the coach is pissed

 

[Puddy_Tat]

NX offered me a job this week too and I passed the medical so I think I'm going with NX to start in August.

since it's now august, wondering how it's going (or was it later in august?)

hope it's going well / goes well (delete as appropriate)

saw a photo posted somewhere of a kings ferry training coach - enormous 3 axle thing.



this was the bus i did my training / test on, and it's about the most modern bus i've driven since...

 

[Jennaonthebeach]

since it's now august, wondering how it's going (or was it later in august?)

hope it's going well / goes well (delete as appropriate)

saw a photo posted somewhere of a kings ferry training coach - enormous 3 axle thing.



this was the bus i did my training / test on, and it's about the most modern bus i've driven since...

I start in just under 3 weeks.

 

[Epona]

I start in just under 3 weeks.

Oh that's brilliant news, I hope it all goes really well and that you enjoy the job

 

[InArduisFouette]

Tell them nothing unless they ask you a direct question then lie

Rules are for fools

because telling lies on vocational driving applications goes so well

2014 Glasgow bin lorry crash - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[bellaozzydog]

because telling lies on vocational driving applications goes so well

2014 Glasgow bin lorry crash - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

There is nothing in the OPs post about a pre existing medical condition which required disclosing which appears to be the key aspect of the Glasgow tragedy

 

[InArduisFouette]

There is nothing in the OPs post about a pre existing medical condition which required disclosing which appears to be the key aspect of the Glasgow tragedy

yet here you are telling the OP tro lie aobut their health conditions in order to gain access to a Vocational Driving licence

i'd love to see i you stood in the dock defending that or in front of his Majesty's Traffic Commissioner defending that

 

[bellaozzydog]

yet here you are telling the OP tro lie aobut their health conditions in order to gain access to a Vocational Driving licence

i'd love to see i you stood in the dock defending that or in front of his Majesty's Traffic Commissioner defending that

After reading the thread I’m guessing Richard Turfitt probably wouldn’t lose any sleep over it

 

[equationgirl]

because telling lies on vocational driving applications goes so well

2014 Glasgow bin lorry crash - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The OP was not health related, and as someone who was living in Glasgow at the time of the crash, I can assure you that when it came out that the driver had not only passed out while driving a bus, been suspended and then gone on to work at the council, there was immense outrage. There was more outrage when it transpired the fiscal had ruled out a prosecution.

This is not that.

 

[Jennaonthebeach]

yet here you are telling the OP tro lie aobut their health conditions in order to gain access to a Vocational Driving licence

i'd love to see i you stood in the dock defending that or in front of his Majesty's Traffic Commissioner defending that

weird. I never told any lies. They put me through a medical and asked for access to my medical record so that would be pointless. As it happens I'm pretty healthy for my age.

Anyway - today i took the first 2 modules of my PCV/ PSV exams. A straight pass: 97%, 87% and 98%. Next week is the fun bit where i actually get behind the wheel of a coach and start driving it around Kent!

 

[Jennaonthebeach]

since it's now august, wondering how it's going (or was it later in august?)

hope it's going well / goes well (delete as appropriate)

saw a photo posted somewhere of a kings ferry training coach - enormous 3 axle thing.



this was the bus i did my training / test on, and it's about the most modern bus i've driven since...

i start training in the coach on Monday, and yes, it is an enormous 3 axle thing.

 

[tonysingh]

weird. I never told any lies. They put me through a medical and asked for access to my medical record so that would be pointless. As it happens I'm pretty healthy for my age.

Anyway - today i took the first 2 modules of my PCV/ PSV exams. A straight pass: 97%, 87% and 98%. Next week is the fun bit where i actually get behind the wheel of a coach and start driving it around Kent!

Driving around Kent? If you pass through Medway, keep the windows and the speed up. We're a rum lot.

 

[Jennaonthebeach]

Driving around Kent? If you pass through Medway, keep the windows and the speed up. We're a rum lot.

oh yes. i know. I'll be setting off from Gillingham every day!

 

[tonysingh]

oh yes. i know. I'll be setting off from Gillingham every day!

Duncan Rd?

I'll have to start making rude gestures to every bus and coach now. You know, just in case