Learning bus routes
Gary Smith
Am considering a job as a bus driver, but am not very good at remembering
directions. - Don't laugh :-)
Ivor Jones
I won't laugh, but I will cry. *Don't* become a bus driver unless you are
(a) a masochist or
(b) a fool
Re. route learning, well it depends on various factors such as how well
you know the area and how good the company is at providing training, some
are better than others.
BTW you *will* remember the routes after you've been round them several
thousand times..! (Then you'll know why I said what I said above.)
Ivor
RELL6G
Ivor Jones wrote:
> Gary Smith wrote:
> > How easy is it to learn a number of bus routes.
> > Am considering a job as a bus driver, but am not very good at
> > remembering directions. - Don't laugh :-)
>
> I won't laugh, but I will cry. *Don't* become a bus driver unless you
are
>
> (a) a masochist or
> (b) a fool
:-)
>
> Re. route learning, well it depends on various factors such as how
well
> you know the area and how good the company is at providing training,
some
> are better than others.
>
> BTW you *will* remember the routes after you've been round them
several
> thousand times..! (Then you'll know why I said what I said above.)
Certainly so if you end up confined to the same route day in day out.
Route learning then.
I'm also fairly hopeless with directions so always preferred to ride
round the various routes armed with a writing pad.
So a route description would begin with which stand to use or other
start point and then itemise most 'moves' which I did in a coded form
for quick reading. So something like
Cont fwd
T/R at lights
Next T/L
Continue this road
See phone box RHS then next T/R
S/ON at island
Pass Fox & Hounds pub
T/R next lights
would mean continue ahead, turn right at traffic lights, continue along
this road until you see a phone box on the right, take the next right
turn, straight on at the island, pass the Fox & Hounds pub then turn
right at the next lights.
I found this worked a treat.
On some route learning trips I would note where some fare stages were
as well as the variety of names for some stops ("Tennis Courts" on
account of one being there 100 years ago or the name of a long closed
and flattened shop are but two examples)
For each route other relevant notes would be included such as low
bridges and timing points.
One thing I'll not forget in a hurry was one chap who went to learn a
lengthy route on day. Some weeks later when spare he was given a trip
on this route with the following exchange
Controller - "can you do us this 245"
Driver - "Don't know that one Cliff"
Controller - "Yes you do I sent you out on it a few weeks ago"
Driver - Yeah but I was asleep for some of it!"
Controller - (fag ash flying!) "Well you F**** won't be this time
then!"
He wasn't seen for nearly 5 hours having become just a bit lost in the
snow - oops!
This wasn't all that long ago either - 1990 - how things in the
industry changed over the next 10 years :-|
--
RELL6G
Email address is valid
Daphne Ashworth
It was even more different before 1990 for LT Country The new drivers
went out on the road with an empty bus to learn the "roads." I taught
some of the girls on the back and we had our own Training Schedule.
I had a Training Duty Card which swopped me and my girl across all
routes over 7 days. The duty conductor loved us whenever we came
aboard because he/she just sat down and I signed "Daphne Ashworth/name
of girl/training journey" across his/her waybill. EPT1-6.
And offered helpful but now useless hints like: if you have a full
house on a short run, get the downstairs in and then block the upstairs
getting off with your hand out. Stand there and don't let them off
until they have paid.
Daphne Ashworth
COLIN TIMMIS
with an independant that operates a very limited number of services, or if
with a larger company, try and go on a rota that does pretty much the same
routes all the time.
FYE
"Gary Smith" <garyme...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:421ce848$0$56011$ed26...@ptn-nntp-reader03.plus.net...
krystnors
"Gary Smith" <garyme...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:421ce848$0$56011$ed26...@ptn-nntp-reader03.plus.net...
> Am considering a job as a bus driver, but am not very good at remembering
> directions. - Don't laugh :-)
>
>
*Why* are you considering a job as a bus driver?
It's not an insulting question. If you believe you will be *driving* as in
your car, forget it. Bus driving is moving 100 yards then stopping, moving
100 yards then stopping - all day long. You'll be sitting in a fridge in the
winter and a greenhouse in the summer.
Meeting and helping people? Only if you are doing the job perfectly - in
their eyes! So don't bother with your watch, you won't need it - even if
you're bang on time; you'll still be early/late.
And then there's the early mornings/late nights and weekend working all for
single time, and that's after you've done your "training" under the New
Starter Rate for x months.
Don't take any notice of the glossy ads or the speal from the interviewer,
talk to the drivers in the bus station - then if you decide to go ahead,
good luck!
krystnors
shafiu...@gmail.com
All jobs have their Pros and Cons and Bus driving isn't different.
coalmines1961
> It's not all so bad becoming a bus driver now a days. I know a lot of people who became bus driver and later progressed into coach driving and instructor role.
>
> All jobs have their Pros and Cons and Bus driving isn't different.
>
>
> This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
> http://www.avg.com
>
You call going from being a bus driver to being a coach driver
'progression'? Oh yes, I love the idea of progressing from earning £12
an hour to earning £9 an hour. Now that's what I call promotion!
Joyce Whitchurch
--
Joyce Whitchurch, Stalybridge, UK
=================================
coalmines1961
> I believe the tips are better on coaches.
>