Do you think being a Bus driver is a skilled job?

[UrbanMan27]

Sorry about this random post.

But, what's your opinions on this? Also do you respect Bus drivers?

Exactly. It's a horrible term used to look down on certain jobs and justify wage suppression.

@Lozzybear why does it need to be compared. Two different jobs entirely.

I couldn't be a bus driver. I am a train driver. Maybe some bus drivers wouldn't be able to memorise an entire route like we have to.

You basically drive a bus by sight. You don't start braking for a station in thick fog going 100mph by sight.

Why are you asking op?
My dh is a bus driver and yes I would consider it a skilled job after witnessing the assessments and trining he had to undertake in order to qualify . Re respect , I work in the corporate world and earn 3x his salary however if I were to be honest , his job is probably a lot more beneficial to society than mine. I wouldn't say I respect people based on their jobs - respect is based on character but the job is one which should be appreciated. They get told off for very minor mishaps and can get treated quite badly by management ! His annual leave gets dictated for him which means we can never choose when he goes on holiday which is very poor for family life

I’d say it’s skilled and drivers should be respected. It’s badly paid though with drivers getting a quid or so over minimum wage. Awful shift rotas on a 3 week rolling basis starting from 4 am some days finishing at midnight on others. It’s perhaps the local bus company but they are well known as poor employer. On the news recently saying they struggle to recruit and retain drivers. Well obviously if you treat people like shit they will move on.

@Badbudgeter ditto!
It's terrible isn't it? The company my dh works for has an incredibly high turnover - I've never seen anything like it!
It isn't just the pay but the mere fact that they get treated soo badly ! The shifts are awful! He sometimes have a 3 hour break which he doesn't get paid for but is such a waste of time - he stays on site and ends up being at work for a very long day due to the long lunch .

Semi-skilled. I have a PCV D licence and I’m an ICU nurse !. Keeping people alive is lot more difficult.

@Chesneyhawkes1 so you think you deserve much more money than a bus driver?!

@Chesneyhawkes1 it really isn't a competition- although I'm sure driving a train takes a lot more skill.

I couldn't be a bus driver. I am a train driver. Maybe some bus drivers wouldn't be able to memorise an entire route like we have to.

Bus drivers have to memorise routes - some actually drive several bus routes . They also have to learn the curtailment routes too . Why couldn't you be a bus driver ? Could you explain .

Yes. I'd be awful at it. It's one reason my car is small!

@Lozzybear I asked why compare? Some aspects will be harder bus driving. Some train driving.

I think bus drivers deserve more money.

@cherry2727

So true. I think the only reason they have drivers is due to them paying for training. If you leave in first two years you have to pay back a couple of thousand pounds. It’s a shocking way to run a business.

Yes and I don’t understand why bus drivers get paid less than train drivers. They have to drive in traffic and deal with passengers.

Yea and yes.
I can drive but I could never drive a bus.

Who doesn’t think the deserve more money !

I drive a van... not sure I could handle a bus and looking after passengers too. So yes it's a skilled job. Not any one could do it.

Most jobs are skilled. They are just valued differently. I couldn't drive a bus through a large city without being a hazard to life or do many other jobs that probably earn much less than I get paid. I can see why communism was appealing.

Of course it's a skilled job and yes of course I respect bus drivers. Why you are asking the question OP?

@cherry2727 I'm useless at reversing. Trains don't go backwards.

I'm not making it a competition. I said the jobs aren't comparable in my mind.

Routes are very different driving a train to a car for me. I can react in my car and it will stop fairly quickly. I could get in my car now and drive somewhere I don't know.

You don't have that luxury in a train. But also you don't have the annoyance of other road users getting in your way. Which is a big bonus 😄

I wouldn't feel confident driving a train at full line speed on a route I'd never seen or been over and stopping at all the stations. It would be impossible, unless I trundled along at 30-40mph

I once visited a pallet making factory. Nail guns and ear defenders. So you spend your day nailing bits of wood together and can't speak to anyone else because it's so loud. My respect for those guys was immense because I just would have gone insane.

Yep. I do understand paying higher wages if a job requires more skills/longer training than other jobs. But I don’t think any skill is more important or valuable than another.

Yes and Yes. It is also very high pressure. Not only are you carrying people whose lives depend on your concentration and driving ability, you have to be 100% on it every second of the shift. Add to that idiots and thugs on the bus to deal with all on your own with no bus conductor any more - who used to be on every bus to deal with the payments, keep order and have your back - and you are driving while trying to crowd control. You can't stop for a stretch or a piece of cake or wander to the water cooler or to stroll off to the loo. It's very much a skilled job that requires a set of capabilities and conscientiousness that most people just don't have.

My brother is a bus driver. My late husband used to swear that my brother could parallel park any car into a gap only six inches longer than the vehicle! It was amazing to watch. Street parking was at a premium at my parents' and sometimes we'd just get out of our car and hand my brother the keys because we couldn't get in the space!

Yes. In addition to your regular licence you must pass the PCV licence and be able to drive your route to a high standard knowing all the quirks & risks. It's no picnic to pass. As pp said, bus drivers in London are very skilled considering all the hazards thrown at them (and I maintain, as a result, are the grumpiest in all England).

Yep. I'm not saying that a bus driver should be paid the same as a brain surgeon, obviously! But "unskilled" is just a horrible term. Every job requires some sort of skill set.

Yes and yes