Evenin Geezer’s…
Been on the rigid’s for nearly four years now, agency to agency, three moon here and three weeks there. Like 99% of the class 2 fraternity im multidropped oot ma ■■■■ and cant stands no more!
Not only that but ive developed an arsed clutchin knee over the past couple of years and all the ups and downs into and out of the cab multiple times a day is killin me softly.
I was just about to book my artic course last week when i noticed First East were lookin for drivers, i applied for the obligatory laugh, as ye do, sat through all the online tests and then forgot about it…got offered interview today.
Not sure what to do now. First put you through the ticket but it not free. You pay x amount a week from wages for the first two years but if you do manage to stay for two years plus you get it back in a lump sum im told. Then theres the ferrying around ■■■■■■■■■ that puts me off a tad and the pay and the 5 from 7 shifts yadda yadda…then again the depot is close, the wagons are auto and once your in your in till shift end…Or go bendy and see what hand i get dealt as regards to work, ■■■■■■ off with the ‘ace highs’ and ‘two of a kinds’ ive been gettin… im due a good flush or stiff run ffs lol.
Whats the consensus then, what would you do? I dont know any bus drivers that can advise me either way…
I’ve done both. And I’m one of the few that is equally happy carting 25 tonne of coal or 70 folks. The perfect job doesn’t exist. All jobs have their upside and downside. It’s all to do with the balance of what makes you comfortable. Sounds like you’ve exhausted the joys of multidrop so certainly time to move on.
As for which way, there’s no firm answer.
Class 1 (CE) work is normally no more than a few drops - frequently just a single drop. To earn the best money it’s normal to stay out 2 or 3 nights a week. There are exceptions of course. You will earn more money on CE than on a bus without a doubt.
It’s getting easier to get a start on CE. The economy is improving so more folks are buying stuff. This all has to be delivered - by trucks in part. There’s fewer newbies coming into the industry than is needed to fill the demand. So things are looking quite a lot better in that department.
On buses, the work is normally very secure. You know exactly when you’ll finish. Your shifts are normally predictable for at least 6 months ahead. So social life might be better but you’ll have less cash to spend.
Some people slate the idea of bus driving. But, IMO, it’s the same as anything else. It’s what you make it and relies on your attitude and ability to block out the rubbish that’s thrown at you. To a point, it’s the same on trucks though.
Whether you choose CE or bus, you should be away from the manual work associated with multidrop.
Don’t know if this helps; I tried!
Pete 
We train many bus drivers that are absolutely fed up with the job. Mostly it’s the passengers attitude that wear them out but the shift patterns don’t help either.
The opportunity to get the training upfront without paying is probably tempting but job satisfaction is very important. There are Class 1 employers that will reimburse your training fees when you work for them. I know because we send them newly qualified drivers.
You should probably try to speak to different employers and drivers before making a decision.
Human resources theory describes recruitment as a two-way process. The well known side of the equation is the candidate trying to sell themselves to prospective employers. However, it is important to appreciate that employers are selling themselves and the role to prospective employees through the recruitment process.
There is a reason why the norm for large bus companies is offering ‘free’ training for category D and initial passenger driver CPC, in contrast to the situation with lorries, where some companies provide C and/or CE training, but the norm remains drivers training at their own expense. This suggests that bus companies struggle to attract drivers to the profession, and can only meet their demand for drivers by providing training with no up-front costs.
The bus company’s training isn’t really free - as I am sure you already know, the training is provided in return for a commitment to work for the employer for a set period or repay a proportionate amount of the training costs if you leave before completing your commitment. Ultimately, it’s rather like the question posed by the choice between taking a mobile phone contract with a subsidised handset or buying a phone without subsidy and taking cheaper SIM only service: how much do you value the up-front subsidy?
Peter and the other trainers here will be better placed to comment than I am, but I would expect most category C holders to require less training for category D than someone with no previous experience of driving large vehicles. In your position, I looking to use your C entitlement and LGV experience as a bargaining tool with the bus company, arguing that your likely lower training costs should mean a shorter commitment to work for the company than for entrants who only have a B licence.
The alternative approach is to pay for your own training, which would allow you to take work on the buses with no training commitment. However, if you are going to pay for your own training, you might feel that it is better to spend your money on a CE course than on a D course with initial passenger driver CPC.
Most of all, it’s about the job. If you are not sure about PCV, maybe you could ask the bus company to let you shadow their drivers, giving you an opportunity to travel around on the buses and talk to the staff. If you do this, I would try to resist being paired with drivers selected by the company, as they will likely hand pick the drivers, routes and times they feel will give you the best impression of the work. Obviously, you would be giving up your free time for any shadowing, but this is likely a better deal than paying out for training costs or committing yourself to a company only to find you hate the job.
The other approach is to buy a couple of day tickets or a weekly ticket, and travel around on the buses without the company setting up shadowing arrangements. You may find drivers willing to talk when they’re changing over, or whilst waiting on stand between runs.
As LGVTrainer says, passengers can answer back, get drunk and have a bad attitude. PCV work typically has regular shifts and bus work is almost always on domestic hours with no tacho, but the down side is that there will be some sort of expectation to cover earlies, lates and weekend shifts.
Cheers for taking the time to reply men…your thoughts have been helpfull.
I couldn’t deal with buses or coaches. I like the fact that my cargo doesn’t talk back to me!
Add the E forget the PCV especially with First!!!
I generally enjoyed my years on the buses, some of the stories you wouldn’t believe, some of the stories you wouldn’t want to believe. In the end it was the way the company (First Glasgow) treated their drivers that got to me, they sacked me over a passenger complaint, even though the cctv backed me up. I was appealing their decision and already had my class one but never used it, so I gave agency a try 2 weeks later I dropped my appeal and landed a full time job on artics doing store deliveries.
Few months into my new career I got a letter from the Transport Commissioner, First had reported me!!! So along I went to visit her with my union rep, she viewed the cctv and sided with me. Even she said I done nothing wrong and wished me luck with my future.
Rotten shower of ■■■■■■
I must admit, I recently started thinking about bus driver training as Nottingham City Transport are always looking for them, and they pay for your training, but upon doing a recent bit of bus travelling while the old banger was getting an exhaust repair in the shop, I changed my mind! 
I really don’t think it’s for me, still looking to train for C, although my circumstances have changed recently so don’t know if I can afford it now anyway. 
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON’T DO IT!!
I’m the opposite to you, I spent a year on the buses and now 12 years driving coaches, (still on the coaches now) I’m currently getting my class 1 and 2.
Each job has its ups and downs and I clearly cant comment on truck driving but if you really wanna do PCV, fund your own license and be a coach driver, better than the buses, not by much but its tolerable, hence my 1 year on the buses and 12 on coaches.
just my op of course