decisions desicions

[jellybaby]

well a sleepless night just wondering what to do i work for the nhs as a care worker not bad money 7 weks holiday and they pay for training But i work in mental health for the elderly and to be honest i'm fed up with it so been looking around. Not really trained for anything else and i do want to do something different. i've had a information pack and application form from arriva to become a bus driver, so its choices the nhs is a big company with oppurtunity, and i could talk to the resources dept about transfers but would i be happy. Or do i take a risk at least if by chance arriva offerd me a job they put me through my psv how useful is that ???? any body a bus drver what are the ups and downs i know nothings perfect whatever i do at least i've got the support of a loving wife and two great boys.

[andysd1]

oh crist, dont do it, i done ten years and would never go back, speek to drift he still works for them, and he is now an office boy

[andysd1]

i only left when arriva took my company over and they changed every thing in my depot, they actually destroyed my depot, and then sold it of to a private company who ran it in to the ground, the it was took over by stagecoach, which i was told was worst than arriva, but i had gone by then.

[Drift]

I cant say to much about Arriva as I work in the head office for the North West and Wales, I did 18 years driving before that.

Its not the company it was the shifts and the attitude of the public and other road users that got me fed up, then after a major accident I thought it was time for a change, did some courses and got into the head office Monday to Friday 9 to 5 and Im very happy there.

I started when it was Ribble, that was split in 1986 at deregulation to form Northwestern Road Car Company which was bought by Coweis of Sunderland, this then changed the name to Arriva a good few years ago, I have to admit its a lot more organised and regulated than it was under Northwestern.

I suspect you will be joining Arriva Midlands, you have our old MD there and one or two of his directors transfeered there last year, one of my old sparing (verble ) partners went there and is now a director I think

I personally started to hate driving and the shifts mainly the violence and threats and not being able to do anything about it.

[jellybaby]

yea that is a part af the decision threats i can deal with no problem the violence though and carrying money shifts not a problem do them any way but they do put you through you PSV obviously your tied in to a mimimum conract time but i may not even get to a short list

[Drift]

As long as your test drive goes well you shouldnt have any problem, we take people out in a transit van first to assess them.
If all is well they get sent to the training school and I think they gt three attempts at the test after a few weeks training.

What we do in the North West is have a sliding scale, if you leave within a certain time period you pay a percentage of the cost of your test back from wages, if you last I think about 3 years you dont pay anything back then if you leave, its something like that.

[jellybaby]

what do they like you to do on your test drive and how good do you have to be

[Drift]

A big thing is safety, they know we all develop faults driving but as long as you can prove your safe and your willing to listen to them you should be ok.
I have a good knowledge I did the course years ago and one of my best mates is an instructor for us, Trugga should remember Leo he crashed his car laning with us a few years ago

As I said safety safety safety and you wont go far wrong.

Keep looking in them mirrors, get into the habit now

[jellybaby]

think i'm going to go for it got nothing to loose what are the english math tests like any idea ??

[Drift]

Bloody ell its 23 years since I started

If you can count and write your fine, there are enough Polish drivers get in so you should have no problem

[jellybaby]

more questions sorry not wishing to pry whats the money like.

[Drift]

Ask away

To be honest Im not sure about the Midlands area as different subsidiaries have different agreements, In Liverpool its around the £9ph mark, carnt remember exactly, been a while since I drove

[jellybaby]

Not bad do they let you run old grannies over well just sealed the aplication form just wait and see

[Drift]

Hmm watch that comment ( some one will fill you in on that one Im sure )

But good luck, it can be a good job if you get the right routes to do, but 18 years driving around Liverpool city centre was just about enough for me.

If and its a huge if I was to drive again it would have to be around North Wales nice and rural

[andysd1]

tbh i could not do it again, now put me behind the wheel of a coach and i will be happy

[cheekychick]

OMG, imagine you driving the bus down the lanes to our village , nah, it'd be fine we're to rural for arriva buses

[jellybaby]

oh bugger sorry foot in mouth

[Drift]

I couldnt do coaching.. soooo boring

We used to get hired out to Nat express in peak times summer from Skelorne Street to get the holiday makers to Butlins in the 80's it was a right pain as the A55 hadnt been built we where always going over our hours doing or trying to do two trips a day
Cant sit on a motorway all day every day

No probs Dave

[Drift]

We do a bus to blaenau ffestiniog then on to Portmadog

[cheekychick]

I know, I been on it