What's it like being a bus driver?
Asked by roaming_tigerr_uk
I'm thinking of commencing soon and would appreciate some honest feedback that may give me an overall impression. I'm sure, as in most jobs, there are pro's and con's but would like to understand what these might be? Thanks in advance for your help.

Best Answer:
This is one of those jobs you will either love or hate, if you have a good, polite and friendly personality you will find it the best job in the world. You will soon find during your training that you have been a terrible driver when driving cars etc, you will see the bad habbits of others on the road, while you have to have your eyes all over the place, it's a lot more tiring driving a bus (eg I used to be a courier and I'd often set out on 500 mile plus round trips after a full shift with no bother...but ask me to do 500+ miles on a bus and I'd be yawning at the prospect). But at the end of it you will be regarded as a professional driver, sadly not all drivers appear to be proffessional when on the road, but a good few are. Customer care is paramount, you have to be patient with all passengers, not all will be as friendly as you, but epecially take care of the elderly, infirm, mothers with young children etc. The actual physics of driving a bus are obviously a lot different to driving a car, when turning into / out of junctions you have to be aware of the length of the vehicle, and take care of your rear end sweep, (especially when turning into junctions, the back end will sweep out into oncoming traffic so great care is needed), and to where your rear wheels are, nothing more uncomfortable for your passengers if they go over the kerb. This is just a snapshot of what you can and indeed will experience, theres loads more to go into which you will learn over time (roata's, wayfairers (ticket machines), cashing up etc), but like any job you will only find it rewarding if you manage to do the job to the best of your abilities. One good tip....elderly people, especially ladies, love a bit of banter, so by all means talk to them, in fact talk to all your passengers, you'll know yourself what type of person will respond. Treat people with the respect that you would expect yourself (even with school runs), and you won't go wrong at all. Enjoy. ADZE's comments are a prime example of how a lot of bus drivers do act, but not all are like that.
Bus Driver for Yorkshire Buses, Dewsbury & Heckmondwike (Now Arriva), 1995 - 1998
Answered by Mark C

good money. lots of overtime. driving the bus is great fun but having to stop every few hundred yards to let on miserable, rude, passengers is a pain. 90% of them don't have the words please and thankyou as part of their vocab. you'll prob find it's an ok job for a year or two and then want out. my son has had enough and is currently doing his hgv. all the joys of driving without the misery and often violent people he has to ferry around.
Answered by ididntknodat

I think you should be aware that the wheels on your bus would go round and round and the bell on your bus will go ding ding ding......and as for the window wipers!!!!!!!!!! and this would be all day long!
Answered by petemctaz

A friend of ours is one - she says she loves it. The disadvantages seem to be that she has only 1 weekend off a month so most weekend activities shared with friends and family are a gonner. The nights can be a bit scary, especially when the bus gets loaded with drunks. Hours erratic - again impinges on husband and family.
Answered by Veronica Alicia

You must have a bad attitude for starters,be rude kick old people of the bus for trifle reasons,people who run to catch your bus,close door then pull away just as they get there. Make sure it`s really bad weather when you do these things so as to cause as much misery as you can plus pull out as if you owned all the roads giving no consideration to other motorist.If you have all these qualities your sure to get work.
Answered by ADZE

Well I'm not a bus driver but I travel on buses a lot. I just want to say that I know some passangers can be rude, annoying and with no manners but some bus drivers are also like that. Bus drivers can be very rude sometimes, even to little children! Trust me, I've seen it. If you are going to be a bus driver then be a nice and polite one. Also don't have bad road rage like some do.
Answered by Balamory86

My brother did it for a few years in Stoke area. Poor money, miserable customers and bosses. He was glad when he finally had enough. He had even been shot at with an air gun, sworn at and threatened often, some times by drunks. He is quite a mild mannered man.
Answered by Hi T

My dad was a bus driver for around 4 years any my uncle just got his 10 years service certificate last month so it cant be that bad. You do need patience as if your running late its your fault as far as the customer is concerned but thats the case in most jobs! The hours are shifts so you get shift allowance and you get paid more if you do 'lates' the money is good and if you want to drive bigger vehicles in the future this is the perfect way to start as you get your license free of charge from them and its valid for a long time. A lot of bus drivers are bad though, they are just as rude to the customer, its as if they tarnish everyone with the same strick. If your young and wear a school uniform you must be trouble and dont deserve to catch the bus home. they often drive straight past the bus stop! A lot of them are so uptight, the amount of people who put in too much money as they havent got the right change and on our buses we dont get change back, yet if your short by a few pence the bus driver kicks you off or only drives you as far as your money takes you, even if its nowhere near where you need to be!
Answered by **Kesha**

It was o/k in the 70-80s, but I left due to the constent targets levied upon the tight schedules, and the demise of crew buses. The modern for want of a better word driver,rarley gets the chance to interact with the public, I will give you a few examples, the no1 bus sitting at Surrey Docks station early on a summers morning with about 30 passengers waiting to start their journey towards the west end, driver pretends to start the bus but it wont go, walks round to tell his conductor and the disapointed passengers that unless they get of and push the bus to bump start it they will have to wait for the next one, they all got off with the conductor I climbed in to the cab, and they pushed the routemaster about 20-30 yards before I pushed in the cut out switch and started the bus, they all jumped on and for a while were none the wiser when they found out they like true south Londeners laughed along with us, example two was around Christmas time on a 53 coming from Plumstead Common it was heaving with shoppers my mate Dave on the back never worried to much about the 5 standing rule, and I pulled away from the town hall well overloaded, two thirds up the hill the lights caught me and when they changed even in first gear the old girl would not pull away, so handbrake on I walked around to have a look 18 people standing, 15 to many what to do? I asked them and 10 seated passengers to get off and walk to the brow of the hill ware I promised to stop and pick them back up, there was much grumbley laughter but thats what they did, and true to my word I stopped and picked them up. There were no tantrums there was no f--ing and blinding there were no threats, just light hearted banter that lasted long after that period, you ask whats it like now? I dont no mate, but it aint going to be half as goodas then. happy new year and good luck.
Answered by Korky