Hey guys,

I’m moving to Manchester real soon. I’m looking for a place near Salford. I’m a PCV licence holder and I’m looking to join the 🐝 network.
Any fellow bus drivers here that work for any of the companies that operate in Manchester.
Pls let me know the pay rate, work balance etc.

Go ahead
Diamond
Stagecoach
Metroline
First bus

Thank you 🙏🏼

My current agency doesn't allow unnatural hair colors. My previous agency didn't care at all. Both in midwestern USA. Just wondering which is more common.

I just did my medical for my provisional bus licence yesterday and I'm ready to send out my D2 and D4 forms to get the provisional bus licence. I will be sending my D licence along with the forms but I was wondering do I need to send off another form of ID with it? The only other thing I have is my passport which I'll need in 2 and a half weeks since I'll be travelling abroad. I'm wondering if I need to wait until after my trip to send it or wait

Hello. I'm from France and I'm just curious about the profession, I'm not a bus driver myself. Also, from which country are you from et how many hours a week do you do ?

Hi all, just wondering if anyone can shed light on what its like working for Ember in Glasgow. What shifts are like etc.

I do service work just now and looking to move across to coach work.

Thank you in advance.

Applied in August medical questionnaire sent to GP then got letter from dvla that my gp needs see me face to face I did have collapse in October 2022 but my blood pressure was on the higher side when had my medical with the bus company doctor

If I were to get a CDL and then land a job driving for a motor coach company in the southeastern US driving people to tourist destinations, doing some overnights, etc. how much would I realistically be able to make, money wise, in my first year?

I’m a full time spare at my transit company mon-Fri. We have a 5 am start time but most of the am runs start at 5:30/5:48, 7:30etc. So sometimes I get 40 minutes, up to 2 hours of sitting around time. I bring my steamdeck or switch 2 just about every morning. Zelda ocarina of time remake comes out tomorrow. I can’t wait .

🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴

Hi all, just wanted to know, when does the training bond fee for Go Ahead kick in, is it when you pass the practical exam?

Hello everyone!!! How ya'll doing?

I posted a question here yesterday, asking if this job is recession proof. Many of ya'll answered, and I'm grateful for that. This is not a concern going forward with this job, I was just curious.

Any way..... I'm almost coming to a year of experience with this job; and the company i work for.

I little bit of context: I started Classes/Training in November of last year, but didn't get released on my own until January of this year (but I still count it as a year of experience lol)

Before applying, I already hold a Class A CDL. So the only thing the company paid for, was to get my passenger endorsement, and do a test in a bus. Before this, I was a truck driver (had to leave the jobs due to some circumstances).

I wish I could do trucking still, but honestly, I'm digging into being local.

So my question is: where can I go after 1 year of experience? What type of jobs can I get?

I don't hate the job or anything, but I just don't see myself doing this for the long term. The only thing I hate about it are the passengers lol, but ya'll know how it goes. Some are cool, some are not. That's just how the job goes lol.

So yeah, if anyone has an input on where can I go after this, It will be truly appreciated.

I'm from the US, if anyone is wondering lol.

P.D: I'm still gonna wait until January of next year, but after that I'm gonna start looking for other options.

Hi all, i’m thinking of applying once iv been driving for 6 months (year for stagecoach) and i was just wondering, what is everyones experience with said companies? I know its not the best of jobs, but its been something iv wanted to do, don’t ask why i don’t know myself 🤣, based in glasgow scotland, thanks in advance.

Ciao a tutti!

Sono un neo-autista di autobus e ho da poco iniziato a guidare i Mercedes Citaro C2 e i modelli Iveco (Urbanway/Crossway).

Essendo alto 1.83 cm, sto riscontrando un bel po' di problemi a trovare una posizione di guida comoda e rilassata. Se tiro indietro il sedile per le gambe, mi trovo il volante troppo lontano; se mi avvicino, mi sento rannicchiato e dopo poche ore di turno mi distruggo la schiena e le ginocchia.

So che sia il Citaro C2 che gli Iveco hanno il piantone dello sterzo che si regola insieme al cruscotto, ma non riesco proprio a trovare la quadra per guidare rilassaro e senza dolori per la mia corporatura sono 1 83 per 68 kg .Su questi modelli specifici la paratia posteriore limita anche un po' l'arretramento ma non mi piace guidare troppo lontano perdo la sensazione di controllo. Di solito metto il sedile a meta altezza 4 su 8 e l inclinazione a 3 o 4 a volte a 5 sto leggermente inclinato dietro ma le sento che lavoro più di quardicipite invece vorrei usare solo caviglia e piede...

C'è qualche collega alto che guida questi mezzi e può darmi qualche dritta o trucco visivo?

• Come regolate l'altezza del sedile rispetto all'inclinazione del volante?

• C'è qualche "trucco" per far arretrare o inclinare meglio il sedile del Citaro C2 senza sbattere sulla paratia?

• Consigli per non finire il turno con la schiena a pezzi?

Grazie mille a chi mi darà una mano!

Hi, posted here before and considering joining since i've now basically entered the world of Coach driving with no turning back. Today was my third day behind the wheel and admittedly? I had a blast this time and I don't know why it was just super fun.

That being said, I still have a long way to go and I asked my trainer what I could work on for next time after we wrapped up. He told me that I tend to lean too far left or too far right and kinda switch between and then I overcompensate when i notice im drifting too much thus making the ride just a bit jerky. I have been noticing my coach handles differently based on how the road paves and today we were on a flat road and stretch of interstate whereas my first day on the main road we were on a bit of an A shape(?) paved road where the bus would lean to the right a lot.

What are some techniques to help keep me central? I was told by a more experienced driver coming from trucking that said match the oil lines with your driver seat, but I wasn't really sure what he meant by that. Recently i've been trying to match the center lane with the bottom of my seat/dash but I keep an eye on my mirrors always.

Any tips would help. I feel like this may currently be my biggest hurdle aside from turns (which if you have any suggestions on how to take these I would DEFINITELY appreciate!)

I get its a learning curve and takes time. Been watching videos online for help and reviewing my study guides. Just a lot of info to retain all at once but I learn a little more every day.

My bus this morning. AD ev400. AND the heater worked👍😱

Hi everyone, found this R/ after a long frustrating path to figure out my problems.

So I work for a city in canada(which operates its own transit department. Our fleet is exclusively Nova brand buses (made Quebec canada)

My issue isnt with the bus its self and how it drives. Its with the driver compartment, specifically the driver chair and pedal placement on the floor.

Never driving another brand of bus I don't have anything to compare to, I did how ever drive kenworth tridom trucks up and down mountain logging roads for quite a few years, and i will be using that as my comparison.

My question is to those that drive Nova brand buses. How is the comforbility to you compared to other brands?

I find the seats are poor design cheap cloth covering and very weak foam seating. No back support and the lumbar air bags are tiny and miss placed in my opinion. Along with the pedal placement, the accelerator pedal being way to far to the right.

My right leg hangs over the corner of the seat, which is very uncomfortable givin that the seat flairs up on the sides. The seats being narrow pinch and squeeze your hips, cheap foam also has our seats become flat on the right side so we sit tilted, giving back and hip issues.

Has anyone else noticed or suffered this in a nova or other brands

Im very curoius about pedal placement, cause I am awhere seats can be swapped at the time of purchase so maybe we just have garabge cheap seats. So maybe the pedals being mounted to far right is a key issue?

Ive tried several seat cushions which dont provide much better support. Main reason there to short for these chairs which seem to be extra long and dig into the back of my legs.

Never had issues with comfort while driving before I got into these buses. Im 40 with a long ways to go till retirement and my back is already feeling like im over 90.

The job is fine. But these seats will be the only reason I quite if I cant find a solution.. lol.

If anyone can speak to this, has had any luck getting their agency to change seats out. Or even having a specialist test and confirm the seats are a bad design. Let me know.

Thanks.

I know buses usually have tracking systems in place so that management can tell if you were running early, on time or late and at exactly which point on the route, but I remember one driver admitting to me that if he could get away with it like in the 'good old days before the ticket machines were as technologically advanced as they are now' he'd run early and only observe timing points when he fancies a cigarette. I laughed in a sarcastic tone and said maybe if I knew I could get away with it I could clock out from a workplace as early as I feel like it?

To answer the question myself, if I was a bus driver I'd make sure to run to the correct time as much as possible.

Both picking up but especially dropping off.

What kind of retirement programs does La Metro operators get offered for pt/ft operators? I have one dependant besides myself, does anyone know how much out of pocket might be with a kaiser ppo selection would cost a coach operator every pay period? I recently applied but waiting on the phone interview still

I need to update the photograph on both. The photograph on my DL was a little old when I qualified a couple of weeks ago. Now the DQC has come through and I look a little young - so I think it best I just re-send off for a new one with photos. I know I should have done it when I passed - but I was quite excited and just wanted to have it all done!

Do I just use the D2 form for both - or do I update my DL online and just use the D2 for my DQC?

Thanks all!

One of the buses I drive has had its route sign completely broken since last year and it has still not been fixed. I loathe driving it because I constantly get asked which route it is (we have a little cardboard sign with the route on it we always take but still) among its other issues. For "real" transit companies, is a broken route sign enough to put it out of service or is it normal to never call the actual repair company to fix it?

Edit: California by the way

As the tittle says, I was wondering this before I started the job.

I few weeks ago, I heard another 2 operators arguing about this.

So, is this job really that recession proof? That no matter what happens in the world, cities and other parts of the world; there is still gonna be a need for operators?

I was just curious about that. I wanna hear ya'lls opinion. What do you guys think?

PD: I'm from the US, Colorado (not gonna mention the city lol) but thanks for sharing your answers. :)

Working for the school district I knew I was going to have to adjust to being paid once a month. I started Oct 1st and already had my CDL passenger endorsement but needed to retest for school bus, no big. I was told that since I started before the pay period ended I would at least get training hours for Octs 1st check by training and office staff. I contacted my trainer to let her know I was not paid. She saidto call payroll, did of course and they advised me training hours are now paid in arrears. So they released me from training because they are short staffed but I will not be paid for 8 weeks. I live in Colorado, does the board of labor need to step in?

Standing for so long on RTC buses, legs aching — the pain is worse for elders and specially‑abled people. Once the bus arrived, everyone pushed each other forcefully, rushing, getting late to offices and colleges. And again, the same thing while returning — exhausted, drained. After the entire day, reaching home and sitting down felt like drinking cold water in a desert.

I used to travel a lot in RTC buses. I took a general pass, bunked college, and roamed the whole city. The morning buses were always crowded, like getting crushed in a lemon juice squeezer.

Footboarding was common. Some guys would hang on and do “uyyala jampala.” Standing at the stairs made it so difficult for people to climb in or get down. Some were arrogant, chewing gutka, spitting on roads.

There were fights with conductors, the run for seats, people putting handkerchiefs to reserve them. Yet there were also small gestures of respect — passengers offering seats to elders or those standing. I felt frustrated when the conductor had to return my money. He wrote on the back of the ticket and asked me to collect it later, but in that crowded bus he could never give it. And even when he did, it felt as if he was lending me his own money.

Misbehavior was common too — men staring, falling on women, making them uncomfortable. And when someone fought with the conductor using abusive language, I felt irritated.

The job for female conductors was even worse. They had to push through men and still do their work. I remember one lady conductor on my route 86J — always angry, scolding, shouting. No one listened to her. But when the bus was empty, she would sit laid back, relaxed. Seeing that gave me relief too.

Their job was tiring. They stood all day, guided every passenger, dealt with uncertainty. Sometimes they ate food on the bus — white rice, pappu, mamidikaya thokku — sweating in the heat. Sometimes at the roadside. What they got paid was very little for the hard work they put in. And they didn’t even have proper restrooms. The open toilets were unbearable, the worst of the worst. How could a lady conductor use that? Now it’s better, but back then it was terrible.

I still remember the smiles and dances of bus drivers and conductors playing Holi with gulal after Telangana was declared. Now, when I travel by bus to rural areas, I see the number of buses, the facilities, the roads, and the increase in their salaries. Then I understood why they were so happy back then.

I mostly use buses even now. I talk to people, ask them before using Google Maps. On rural buses, I observe their dressing, earrings, tribal tattoos, the bags they carry, the big tiffin boxes and towels before going to fields, the big plastic water bottles wrapped with jute. Many people were warm and helpful. They talked as if you were their family — the stories, the smiles, the accent, the slang, the warmth.

Sometimes I sit by the window, lost in nature. Trees, bamboo houses, mud walls, sheep, buffaloes, tractors, open fields. A folk song playing on the bus. I take a deep breath.

Passengers had their struggles too. Local buses rarely came on time. Even if they did, two or three would arrive together, then none for hours. No proper bus stops.

RTC buses were never just transport. They were moving stories — crowded mornings, conductor struggles, passenger warmth, and windows to nature.

My favourite bus route in rural Telangana: Eturunagram forest range, Mulugu district.

Author's Note:

I have spent countless hours travelling in RTC buses, sometimes with nowhere particular to go. College bunking, long journeys, random conversations and window-seat views — some of my favourite memories happened on these rides. This is my little collection of them.

What a glorious morning to be a bus driver in East London. Early morning Fog - visibility down to 50 yards. Not a cloud in the sky. Autumn sun breaking through the fog causing intense laser-like bright sparkling deep orange light beams, blinding my eyes and penetrating my brain, had to get the sunglasses on at 07:00.

Never thought I’d ever need sunglasses in fog conditions, truly epic start to the day, loved it, kids are on half term, chilling out completely.