r/Glasgow Tools

rainbowinthepark

Reddit URLhttps://www.reddit.com/user/rainbowinthepark
Last 12 monthsTotalDeletedRemoved
r/Glasgow posts100
r/glasgow comments2700

Interests:

  • I joined but I'm shy 😞 by rainbowinthepark (Sun 14th Apr 2019 6:03pm)
  • As I've said I don't wish to cause any upset, and I don't personally take any offence to anything you've said in your post. I know First drivers can be somewhat difficult to deal with. But I think often passengers don't see the bigger picture as to what it involves, being a bus driver, and all I wanted to do with my post was perhaps offer a bit of an insight as to why we're tired and stressed a lot of the time! What I've said barely scratches the surface but I hope it gives a general overview, and a reminder that we're not all grumpy miserable rude bastards 🙂 by rainbowinthepark (Tue 25th Jun 2019 10:21pm)
  • Okay, so you've pointed out you work in some form of care capacity - would it be reasonable of me to say "there's a few cases of care workers abusing vulnerable clients, therefore you ALL must be abusing vulnerable clients"? Of course not. The same applies for bus drivers. I've said in my comment - multiple times - yes, some drivers are grumpy bastards. However, not all of us are, and some of us are under a lot of stress and pressure given the rules, regulations, shifts, and other constraints we have to work within. I believe everybody has "off" days at work, have you never had an "off" day? I sympathise with your line of employment and admire your work ethic to enable you to work 24 hour shifts in what must be a challenging environment, but I feel your comment is unfair and completely disregards everything I've said above. by rainbowinthepark (Tue 25th Jun 2019 10:50pm)
  • You've failed to answer any of the questions or scenarops posed to you, and seem hellbent on your own point of view, which is skewed at best. I have a very informed perspective of the situation - I have been a bus driver for 2 years, so I'm still very new to the job, and the other 27 years of my life were spent on and off buses all day long commuting to school, college, and work, so I have been both the passenger and the driver hundreds, if not thousands, of times. However, there is no point trying to have an adult discussion with someone who refuses to see anything outside of their own mindset, so I wish you all the best in your life, however I'll not be providing any further comments aimed at you as its clear the conversation is going nowhere, you have your opinion and I have mine. by rainbowinthepark (Tue 25th Jun 2019 11:01pm)
  • Oh I completely agree, however, I perhaps got my experiences mixed up and didn't put that across correctly. First buses have that perspex door, however, the vastly majority of smaller bus companies don't have that. Consequently I've been touched, grabbed, and hit, all while driving. A colleague of mine has been spat on, while another was attacked with a baseball bat, leaving him with a broken arm. Passengers like to believe the CCTV on a bus works but the only one that worked, thankfully, in the incidents I've mentioned, was the one with the baseball bat, but the guy still got away with it. But that's with a smaller company. First, however, like to promote that there's working cctv on all their buses. There isn't. Especially on the older fleet. The cameras are there to give the impression everything is on camera, but it isn't. On the newer fleet, the CCTV does work. But on older pre-2013-ish fleet, its kinda 50/50 as to whether the cameras and audio recording work at all. Infact, in my time at First, I had two complaints from passengers. One was because I had to brake sharply to avoid a car that pulled in front of me, and another was because I pulled away from a stop too quickly, which I held my hands up to and admitted it was my fault, I wanted to get to my next timing point because I was getting behind on my time and that's a performance that you're rated on, regardless of traffic, roadworks, etc. In both instances, it couldn't be proven or disproven by cctv evidence, because none was available. In the first instance, all they had to go on was my word and the metrics that show when you're braking/accelerating too hard. In the second instance, I admitted it immediately. Long story short - don't rely on cctv being available on the bus you're riding. by rainbowinthepark (Wed 26th Jun 2019 12:40am)
  • Believe it or not, while I was at First, the drivers were actually petitioning and requesting the perspex partitions be *removed* for whatever reason. by rainbowinthepark (Wed 26th Jun 2019 1:05am)
  • Aye, this was the general consensus, and I agreed with them. I've driven buses both with and without the perspex partitions and you're far less likely to have a confrontation when it isn't there because people realise that you're face to face, and there's not a door separating you. Also, I hate to bring in stereotypes, but despite all the snarky comments about "female drivers" I do actually get a much easier time in this industry than my male counterparts purely because I'm a female driver. People are far less likely to start on me than they would be if it was a man in the driving seat. by rainbowinthepark (Wed 26th Jun 2019 11:08am)
  • Haha no worries my love! It's easy to miss the TRC signage, they don't exactly make it obvious, and absolutely drivers do break it - I've done so myself, because your conscience takes over and you can't leave Wee Ethel standing in the pouring rain for half an hour. But if caught, we do get fined for breaking these regulations, because sadly "I couldn't leave Wee Ethel standing in the pouring rain for half an hour" isn't an excuse that'll stand up in an appeal 😔 by rainbowinthepark (Thu 27th Jun 2019 8:36pm)
  • Don’t suppose you’re a tiler, have a CSCS card, or know anything about resource administration? by rainbowinthepark (Fri 6th May 2022 1:42pm)
  • Cool, I was asking for two different jobs hah, the tiling one would’ve been me, but admin, my good friend is looking for a data and reporting admin (sorry, I said resource, meant report), have a look and if you’re interested or if it fits your skills I can give you my friends name and direct email to apply directly rather than through the website. Apparently I can’t post a link so it’s McQueens Dairies, go to careers and it should be in there. by rainbowinthepark (Fri 6th May 2022 1:49pm)
  • Cool, I was asking for two different jobs hah, the tiling one would’ve been me, but admin, my good friend is looking for a data and reporting admin (sorry, I said resource, meant report), have a look and if you’re interested or if it fits your skills I can give you my friends name and direct email to apply directly rather than through the website https://www.mcqueensdairies.co.uk/careers/?ja-job=525359&fbclid=IwAR2_cBVHBQ3Yz1hmucyVl039JV_8yGgAlQHEze2db4ihOpiuTe-DOLUPLNA by rainbowinthepark (Fri 6th May 2022 1:49pm)
  • Ah sorry, it’s only the data and reporting administrator that I know the hiring manager for, sorry! With your green CSCS card though that’s like a golden ticket at the moment, I’m in the tiling industry but sites from house developments to office refurbs are absolutely crying out for bodies. Unfortunately I don’t have a space for a labourer at the moment but I’d be willing to bet if you called round a few construction companies you’d get someone looking for help with general site stuff. Really sorry I couldn’t help OP, job insecurity is awful at the best of times, nevermind when everything is costing more and more every single day. I hope you find something soon! by rainbowinthepark (Fri 6th May 2022 2:52pm)
  • I also done those split shifts. Out the house from 5am - 10pm 6 days a week and getting paid for 8 hours. I lasted 4 months. by rainbowinthepark (Sat 25th Jun 2022 7:46pm)
  • 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! by rainbowinthepark (Sun 26th Jun 2022 11:01am)
  • No worries, feel free to PM me if you want any further info. by rainbowinthepark (Sun 26th Jun 2022 11:05am)
  • Do you have a semi-modern phone? If so, that’s going to be your best bet for videoing as phones are easy to conceal in pockets etc and people expect to see a phone in your hand, they don’t expect to see a camera, then they’ll know you’re up to something, not to mention having extra bits of tech will make you a bigger target for theft. If you’ve got a phone the world is your oyster. Post on TikTok, instagram, Reddit, email videos to news outlets, upload to YouTube, the works. by rainbowinthepark (Tue 5th Jul 2022 3:03pm)
  • Are you honestly gonna sit here and try and push the narrative that your life is worse because you have a home and, god forbid, bills to pay? Wow. by rainbowinthepark (Wed 6th Jul 2022 12:55pm)
  • Excellent news, they don’t want to hang about with you either. Glad this all worked out. by rainbowinthepark (Sat 30th Jul 2022 5:10am)
  • If it’s not a prepaid meter there shouldn’t be any issues, it’s just a constant stream of electricity. Check the breaker and make sure none of the switches have flipped. If it’s a prepaid meter fanny about with the buttons until it tells you what the balance is. If it’s 0 you gotta put money in it. If it’s negative you gotta tell your landlord cuz that’s their or the previous tenants debt, then put money on it anyway otherwise you’ll be waiting forever for the debt to be cleared. I’m talking if it’s just a couple quid though, if it’s mega bucks get on to your landlord and don’t let them eat shit or sleep until they’ve resolved it. by rainbowinthepark (Fri 5th Aug 2022 4:34pm)
  • National Novel Writing Month - basically write a book in the month of November 😊 by rainbowinthepark (Fri 5th Aug 2022 5:20pm)
  • Thanks! I did briefly look into nano last year and seen there was a general Discord server, but didn’t see about the region-specific server. I also had absolutely nothing to write about hah. Will have a look for it, thank you! by rainbowinthepark (Fri 5th Aug 2022 7:17pm)
  • I completed it in 2011 then promptly lost my entire novel by not backing up 😩 then tried again in 2012 and got about 25k in and gave up to drink wine instead. Now I’m older I want to give it another shot but it can be quite lonely without doing it alongside others! by rainbowinthepark (Fri 5th Aug 2022 7:16pm)
  • I too was a GOMA Goff roughly 16 years ago. Good times man. by rainbowinthepark (Wed 7th Sep 2022 1:44pm)
  • I can confidently say, as an ex-First Glasgow & Lanarkshire bus driver…. Good luck. by rainbowinthepark (Sun 30th Oct 2022 5:33pm)
  • The 201 was *almost* the worst 😭 by rainbowinthepark (Sun 30th Oct 2022 10:58pm)
  • If the ramp doesn’t work (as in, when you get out of your cab to put it down, because electric ramps aren’t a thing here yet, and it doesn’t lift up or whatever) then the bus isn’t fit for service and you have to defect it. Just fyi if you’re going to work for First. Or any bus company for that matter. by rainbowinthepark (Mon 31st Oct 2022 7:26am)
  • Probably longer, I didn’t do the 201 much due to leaving on account of sexual harassment, not being paid correctly, illegal shifts, and the company siding with a passenger who moved slightly in her seat when I had to perform an emergency stop then faked being gravely injured. Couldn’t pay me enough to go back. by rainbowinthepark (Mon 31st Oct 2022 9:34am)