| Comment | Yeah so this was 2018, and I’m pretty sure the union forced them to get rid of these in 2021 (maybe 2020, one of those years).
Getting my cat D licence was great, and I did actually love actually physically driving buses, but I couldn’t hack the hours. My record was a 76 hour work week (at a company that isn’t First) and for those 76 hours I was paid just over £400 after tax.
They are crying out for drivers at the moment, so if you do intend working on a part time basis, stick to your guns and don’t be pressured into working more because they WILL try to sneak it in - one week you’re working 24 hours and the next you’re working 60 because “we just need a hand for a bit” and suddenly that becomes the norm.
The Union HAS made First a better company to work at since I was there (better pay, less hours, etc) and like I said, I loved the ‘actually driving a bus’ part of the job, and getting your licence does open up a whole work of other work to you, so I’d say it’s still worth getting your licence, as long as you’re prepared to stick to your guns and jump ship if one company starts taking the piss! |
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