Bus/Coach Driver
What is the work like?
Bus and coach drivers transport passengers safely to and from destinations, which can be local, national or overseas. Road safety is an important part of the job, and bus and coach drivers must always drive with the safety of their passengers and other road users in mind.
As a bus driver, you would travel along local routes, making scheduled stops along the way to pick up and drop off passengers. Your day-to-day duties would include:
- taking fares and issuing tickets
- checking transport passes
- giving timetable or route information
- assisting passengers who may be having difficulty getting on or off the vehicle.
You might also work in community transport, ferrying schoolchildren, hospital patients and the elderly to their destinations.
Your duties as a coach driver would be similar to those on a bus but the journeys would be longer, for example travel between cities, taking out day trippers or driving on holiday tours. Other tasks would include:
- loading and unloading luggage
- checking tickets and passes
- making sure that all passengers are back on board for the return journey and after service station stops.
You may take coaches overseas, which would involve extra duties, such as keeping passengers up to date with travel information and dealing with foreign authorities, for instance when going through border controls. You may also act as a tour guide, providing a running commentary on points of interest along the journey.
Whether driving a bus or coach, you would be responsible for making basic vehicle checks before taking your vehicle out and reporting any incidents that occur during your shift to inspectors back at the depot.
What qualifications and experience will employers look for?
You would need a Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) licence and must meet the medical, eyesight and health requirements set out by the bus or coach company. You must hold a full EU driving licence and normally be at least 21 (or 18 to drive minibuses and on certain bus routes).
If you have a full EU driving licence, many companies will take you on and train you to gain your PCV licence. You could also train independently to get a PCV licence by taking private lessons through a local driving school (see your local telephone directory for school details). You can find licence application forms at your local Post Office.
You may be able to start as a volunteer driver, working for community transport, which you could combine with another job, for example as a care assistant. To work for a non-profit-making community organisation, you need to have held a full EU driving licence for two years and be aged at least 21.
See the GoSkills website for more details about bus and coach driving as a career.
Driver CPC
A new EU Directive comes into force on 10th September 2008, which states that new PCV drivers will need to gain a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) as well as the PCV licence. It is known as the Driver CPC. Existing PCV drivers will be able to gain the CPC through periodic training. See the Transport Office website for details of the Driver CPC training and test.
What further training and development can I do?
PCV driver training normally lasts between one and six weeks. You would need to pass a practical and theoretical driving test and a medical. You can get details of the PCV test from the Transport Office (or from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing in Northern Ireland).
As a new recruit, you would receive induction training, which includes operating ticket machines, learning routes, customer care, and health and safety matters.
Once you are working, you could work towards NVQ Level 2 in Road Passenger Transport and specialise in bus, coach, community transport, passenger support or customer service. An NVQ Level 2 in Passenger Carrying Vehicle Driving is also available.
You could also take the Edexcel (BTEC) Certificate in Transporting Passengers by Bus and Coach, which is a short course suitable for new entrants or drivers who want to take continuing professional development. It can also be used to update your qualifications if you have not driven for some time.
Where can I go for more information?
Concorde HouseTrinity Park
Solihull
Birmingham
B37 7UQ
Tel: 0121 635 5520
Castlerock Road
Coleraine
BT51 3TB
Tel: 0845 402 4000
If you would like to discuss your career options with a learning adviser at learndirect Careers Advice, call 0800 100 900 or use our online enquiry form
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What salary and other benefits can I expect?
- Trainee and new drivers usually earn between £10,000 and £14,000 a year.
- Experienced drivers earn £15,000 to £18,000 a year.
- Some specialist tour coach drivers earn up to £22,000 a year.
You may be able to increase your wages through overtime and shift work.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
What are the hours and working conditions?
You would be expected to follow strict regulations governing your weekly maximum driving hours and how long you can drive between breaks. This usually means working up to 48 hours a week and could include evening and weekend shifts between 6am and midnight on local services.
If you are a coach driver, your shifts would depend on route timetables and planned trips, but you would be limited to 56 hours' driving a week, with a maximum of 90 hours over any two weeks.
If you take holiday tours, you could be away from home for several days at a time. This kind of work may be seasonal, depending on your employer.
You would spend most of your time sitting at the wheel of your vehicle. Your company would normally supply you with a uniform.
What skills and knowledge will I need?
- excellent driving skills and knowledge of traffic regulations
- a patient manner and responsible attitude
- an understanding of health and safety issues
- the ability to read traffic signs and follow instructions
- good numeracy skills
- good customer service and clear communication skills
- an assertive but polite approach to unruly passengers
- good geographical knowledge
- a willingness to work flexibly.
You would also need an understanding of overseas traffic laws and have some basic foreign language skills if working abroad.
What opportunities are there?
There are over 130,000 drivers working in over 6,000 bus and coach companies.
You can work for organisations ranging from large companies, with a fleet of vehicles, to very small firms with just a few. You could also choose between companies running local bus services, those with long distance operations or holiday tour companies in the UK or overseas.
With experience, you could gain promotion to jobs, such as service controller or inspector, depot manager or driver training instructor. If you opt for self-employment, you would need to obtain an operator’s Certificate of Professional Competence (Passenger Transport).
You may find the following links useful for job vacancies and general reading: (links open in new window)
Transport Office (search for bus and coach operators).
Coach Tourism Council
Jobcentre Plus
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