Who would want to be a bus driver?

Saturday 17th January 2009, 10:00AM GMT.

From Tony Banner.
ON an Island supposedly with the largest car ownership in Europe, why have buses? Therefore why have drivers?

So if you are thinking of taking up a career in driving what are known as Large Passenger Carrying Vehicles, which I have done in the UK for the last five years, consider the following:

You will be driving some of the largest vehicles on the Island. You will be totally responsible for anyone who travels on the vehicle, strangers will literally be putting their lives in your hands. There will also be many other road users, be they in cars or on motorcycles, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers on horseback. Should something go wrong, you will not be able to hide behind the screen of ‘company’, you alone will be standing in the dock.

In the course of the anti-social hours you work, you’ll be blamed for being late, being early, or the bus at the other side of the Island being late. You will be abused, possibly spat at, and, according to statistics, have a one-in-four chance of being physically assaulted. You will be expected to mind-read which stop passengers want, have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Island, and these questions will often be asked of you while trying to negotiate the tightest possible corner around a badly parked car.

There will also be the joy of bags going to the Airport, and why you won’t allow a baby buggy the size of a small car on a bus that is crowded. Please note a lot of passengers may be elderly and have enough problem standing up when the bus is not moving. You will be expected to continue driving in an exemplary manner despite all this.

Don’t forget a lot of other road users seem to be lacking the gene that even allows them to see a bus in the first place. You will also be happy in the knowledge that European research shows that you will be making more safety-related decisions in an hour than an airline pilot makes in a month.

To cap it all, in extreme weather conditions, when the powers-that-be are advising all others to stay off the road, you will be out there, expected to stick to the timetable perfectly. Should you fail in any of this, not only does the public blame you, so does your employer. Still fancy the job?
136 Sandway Road,
St Mary Cray,
Orpington,
Kent.

1
locallizz

January 17, 2009 at 8:52 pm

Tony Banner
Don’t go judgeing the jersey passengers like what happens on the mainland there are no such problems over here. the rules need to be there. Also no driver has the right to treat customers bad, part of there job is to serve the public and with respect it goes both ways so think on they have no such problems in Jersey, they should be lucky to have such a good surcure job and be happy if there so unhappy thats not the job for them

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2
ann

January 19, 2009 at 1:13 pm

If bus drivers are discontented and unhappy with their lot then they should take up alternative employment outside bus driving. Bus Driving is sopposed to be a people friendly job, if you are not a people person then don’t drive a bus.

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3
PJG

January 19, 2009 at 2:53 pm

How long is the aprentiship to become one of these superhumans
1 year ?
10 years ?
or could the average hgv driver pick it up in a week ?

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4
locallizz

January 21, 2009 at 1:46 pm

PJG
Come off it Jersey Bus drivers don’t need that (maybe on the mainland or elsewhere) all they need in Jerseys small island With no large motorways plus Is a good sense of humour patience politeness and enjoying meeting people and being as helpful as they can if they can’t do that they should not drive a bus its so much more plesant for all to look forward and enjoy the journey So be happy if not look for something else to do its a big world out there

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