The Pros & Cons of being a London Bus Driver
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- Опубликовано: 17 мар 2021
- My thoughts on what is good and bad about bus Driving.
Being really new to driving buses, my lists are probably quite short. If you have any Pros or Cons, please let me know in the comments.
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Great video and interesting here the different pros and cons. Face covering.
Great video Mike, like all of them, very honest and answers a lot of questions! Fair play to you. One on face coverings would be good 😆👌🏼👍🏼👍🏼 be lucky
Thanks mate. I’ll have a think about the face covering idea. Thank you
#Facecovering
Here's what I think...
Pros: I get to drive a £260k bus.
Most of the people I work with are great. Management care about our issues and are always helpful. I earn a similar amount to my former retail job but work 80 hours less per month. + what you said except we only know what we're working 10 days in advance at the moment
Cons. Everything you said + Life-size people in adverts at bus stops. You put on excess weight. Working earlies one week and nights the next really messes you up. People who hide at bus stops or simply refuse to flag you down (I smile and wave as I pass)
Shame on you for not stopping 😜Lol. Some good points. Not sure management care about our issues, in London it’s all about keeping the buses on the road, as they get paid for the mileage.
Nice one ❤❤❤❤❤❤well posted
Thank you Francis
@@_Mikes_Life you're more than welcome. Hope everything is ok 👌 🙏
I guess overtime would count as another positive, the ability to bump up the weekly ££ a bit.
Also coming from the taxi trade and I appreciate most folk here haven't but not having to pay for fuel, insurance, maintenance and repairs are a big plus. If it breaks down, someone else's problem, flat tyre, they'll repair it, someone is sick on board, it gets cleaned.
A runner in the taxi trade costs you time and money, someone claiming they've no oyster card is not going to affect your wage at the end of the week.
Cheers for the vids Mike, as another cabby making the transition, it's helpful watching your take on it all, I'm not expecting fireworks and I'm sure there'll be days I'll be thinking "what am I doing??!!??" But they're answering a few questions for me. 👍🏼
Aside from face coverings 😉, maybe a vid on driver hours, what's expected of you in emergencies, how you're told to deal with trouble on the bus, fare evaders etc.
Thanks Stef, I’ll have a think about your suggestions. Many thanks.
Well done mate. Really enjoying your videos. It’s interesting listening to your views on being a bus driver in comparison to your time as a taxi driver. I’ve been a bus driver for 5 years. It’s a solid wage and a job for life if you look after your licence. Could do a lot worse then this job. Yes there are cons. Fatigue has got to be high up on that list. You have to find your place in the bus world. Wether it’s earlies or lates. Short route long route. Certain companies are better then others. Takes a while to settle in. Anyway keep up the videos. Face Coverings
Thanks for the comments, all valid and useful. Thank you.
@@_Mikes_Life however we should be earning A LOT more money than we do.
@@beniboi86 Agreed. With the responsibilities that we have as drivers.
Great video mate. I am a Bus Driver in the Isle of Man, I guess alittle quieter than your part of the world.
Thank you sir. My part of the world is relatively peaceful compared to central London.
Most definitely Face Coverings! You know it's a good tangent when you forget the stem to it all hahaha. Loved the video! You should start up a discord server or something for all your followers Mike, might be beneficial to growing the channel! As always, thanks!
I might start one, if I knew what it was. I love a good tangent. You’re very welcome.
@@_Mikes_Life It's basically where we can all talk and discuss, both in voice and writing. It would be a nice way for the fans to connect and just share what's on our minds!
Like a live chat?
@@_Mikes_Life Live chats can be apart of it, but It definitely focuses on the writing as well. Different types of writing channels can be made (E.g you could make a channel about buses , another about general life etc), but a live chat channel could definitely be made if you wanted to.
@@sgtmajorpatrickharper7728 where would I do/find such a thing
Face covering 👍
A good video, thank you.
Keep safe.
Thank you. You too.
Face Covering, great informative video again! Stay safe from Perth, Australia
Wow. Many thanks for watching. What time is it, where you are?
@@_Mikes_Life 10 hours ahead of UK 1:44pm now on Saturday 38 degrees 100f so Hot at the moment! lol
8 hours ahead sorry.... didn't get an A for maths!
@@rossalexander7222 C- for maths but an A⭐️ for watching. Many thanks.
@@rossalexander7222 sounds bloody awful. Lol
The enjoyment for the job really does depend on your company & location too.
Very true.
I must admit, I’ve been four-weekly paid for the last 15 years and only recently have I actually got used to it. Hadn’t occurred to me about getting paid daily in a taxi but makes sense. What you say at 9:09 is bang on and how people are has upset me for a long time. People say to accept the world being the way it is but I won’t. It’s not right : (
Edit: Face Covering on an Enviro 400 MMC
I just see what I see and say what I see, it gets me into trouble sometimes. Most of the money you make as a taxi driver is destined for someone else’s pocket.
@@_Mikes_Life Nothing wrong with that, if more people were honest and did/said what they thought was right maybe the place might be a bit better. A few years ago Selkent would have had it sewn up with you, Bus Driver Jak (Catford) and Taylor Straub (Plumstead)....but someone decided to open Kangley Bridge : 0
Face covering! Excellent Video as always!!
I have a random question. You mentioned in one of your previous videos that you were meant to be at Catford when you started, but you were put to Bromley in the end.
Does that suit you, I.e closer to home etc? Could you have said rather stay at Catford if that was better location etc?
It’s suits me just fine. It’s closer by car. I applied for the job in Catford. But very happy to be In Bromley. Thanks fo watching.
Face covering. Really enjoyed that one.
Cool. Many thanks.
Great video. Face Covering. Do Stagecoach ask for a CV??
I applied online. Can’t remember giving or them asking for a CV Thanks for watching.
I went back to work today and I picked up couple kids and they were fine but the good thing was I went on my break at 7:40 so I misssed most of the school kids
That’s the way.
Invisible bus know that one !! I drive a 68ft glider in Belfast it's fun
That’s over 20metres. No thanks
@@_Mikes_Life tough going in some places
@@damianmullan8239 I bet. I still don’t think I’d enjoy it.
I think driving in the better areas of London has its advantages like routes through the west end in Kensington and Chelsea, than places with a high crime rate.
What I like about the job is, no two days are the same, as you say wages every week. Generally a good working atmosphere, if you don’t like London traffic then don’t bother. I nearly forgot Face Coverings , should get a bonus prize for that.
🏆
No one likes London traffic. Lol. You either put up with it, or ship out. Everyday is the same, but completely different.
Another comment, it's great that you're being honest about the wage and that old school drivers get a different package as opposed to those who started later. Thing is, it's all horses for courses, what might seem bad to one person might work for another. Take for example the ex-military blokes working for Total Security in Boots or Tesco - a minimum wage job but the long servers have their pension, many have got their mortgage nearly sorted, they take the job on for a bit of extra money and something to do. As long as you've got a mortgage and house sorted it doesn't matter about how you occupy the time, my impression is that you've already sorted the serious stuff and a job like this keeps you ticking over
I’m a lot happier diving a bus, than I was driving a taxi. Shorter hours, so I’m indoors more and I don’t have to find £450-500 every week for cab rent and diesel. I have no pension so I’ll be working until I drop, so an easier road is ok by me. My wage rate goes up on an annual basis, so another pro.
@@_Mikes_Life I’ve just watched the video from Taxi Driver Tom about that and he says £450 too, that’s an awful amount to find, and he quoted a TX cab. I wouldn’t like to imagine the rent on a LEVC, I think they’re the best part of £70k to buy outright : 0
@@Captainpubwatch to rent an LEVC would cost £320-350 If you live out of town, as most cabbies do, £10-15 a day in fuel to run in and out. and the cost to charge per day. About £8 in town and £4 overnight at home.
@@_Mikes_Life That makes my eyes water just thinking about it - £1400 a month just on the rent : (
@@Captainpubwatch yes, before you pay a bill, buy food or clothes for the kids.
Brilliant I’ve just passed my D licence at 62 and can’t wait to start driving buses always been an ambition of mine. Are stagecoach bringing drivers in from other areas to help out in London ??
Congratulations. I’m not sure what stagecoach are up to these days.
Im not shocked ppl get didn’t find any pros.. their are pros
Tomorrow I’m on a duty that starts 4:15am and I finish driving at 10:40am the bad thing is a get paid 6 hours
I’d love a duty like that. We don’t have them. Our 4:15 duty finished at 13:20
Face covering, yeah can you do a video ok headway and try do a full POV like Taylor straub
Pro. You don’t have to pay Tfl for your taxi medical as the group 2 PCV will cover it. Pro. With Stef starting too, it’s Two less in front at the tfp 😂
You never went very far anyway.
Do you get staff parking at Bromley? If you do that's a massive pro
Yes. We have staff parking. I know some companies won’t entertain it.
If your in Unite the Union, it's well worth looking at driver care.
Already got it
The Achilles Heel of the industry is brother...the differences in pay grades within the same companies....scandalous really comparing my wage from the 80's till now........& I'm a top earner with long service....they'd sack us guys on a whim....contract grabbing!!!!! rant over, but you got the picture...face coverings
Hello please what's the overtime. And days in lou like to make up money. I have passed my medical and now waiting for driving licence to return and when do they send you the pack for theory you are really a great guide to becoming a bus driver
I think the OT is about £18-19 per hour. I don’t do much OT. Days in Lieu are based on working bank holidays. You get paid the OT rate and get a paid day off.
Have you applied to Stagecoach
@@_Mikes_Life
Hi yes i have I am changing jobs not that a want to but have to
Have come out as trans and the company I work for don't accept it
Did you have to buy any of the theory stuff
Thank you for replying
@@jimbo113257 very brave of you, well done. I didn’t buy anything. They say to buy a book, but I learnt everything from the theory test pro app Stagecoach sent me. You won’t get that until your license comes back.
@@_Mikes_Life
Another thing is it paid holiday and how long was you working did you get holiday
@@jimbo113257 yes paid holiday. I think it was a couple of months before I had holiday. Not long.
Extremely interesting. Face covering.
hey, you at lewisham ? you look familiar ?
I’ve got one of those faces.
😷😉😂
What company is it to work for l ùsed to work for aldershot before stagecoach took over did not like the ìdea of omo missed crew work it's apity those days are gone .
They call it progress, most others don’t.
Nominees pass
Yes. Thank you
Get paid weekly? Hopefully not very weakly.........
Wah Wah Waaaaaah 🥁. Lol
face covering!
plenty worse jobs out there ..of to my dream home in the sun paid for outta bus driving..
face covering
Face Covering.