Bus and coach drivers transport passengers safely to and from destinations, which may 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 regular local routes, making scheduled stops along the way to pick up and drop off passengers. Your day-to-day duties would be to:
You may also be able to work in community transport, ferrying schoolchildren, hospital patients and the elderly to their destinations.
Working as a coach driver, you would make longer journeys, for instance between cities, or on day trips and holiday tours. Your duties would include:
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 example when going through border controls. You may also act as a tour guide, providing a running commentary on points of interest as you pass through countries.
Other duties include making basic vehicle checks before taking your bus or coach out and reporting any incidents that occur during your shift to inspectors back at the depot.
To work as a bus or coach driver you will need a Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) licence and meet the medical, eyesight and health requirements set out by the employer. 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 achieve the PCV licence. You can also train independently to get your PCV licence by taking private lessons through a local driving school (see your local telephone directories for details). You will find licence application forms at your local Post Office.
You may be able to start as a volunteer, driving 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.
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 Driving Standards Agency (DSA) website, in Further Information below, for details of the Driver CPC training and test.
See the GoSkills website in Further Information for more details about bus and coach driving as a career.
PCV driver training normally lasts between one and six weeks. You will need to pass a practical and theoretical driving test and a medical examination. You can get details of the PCV test from the Driving Standards Agency (or from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing in Northern Ireland).
As a new recruit, you would receive induction training, which includes learning to operate ticket machines, route familiarisation, customer care, and health and safety matters.
Once you are working as a bus or coach driver, you can 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 can 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 by drivers who want to update their qualifications after an absence from driving.
For more information about training and qualifications for bus and coach drivers see the GoSkills website in Further Information.