Bus Driver, Shift Patterns

[@RajeevRamakrishnan-DREAMER]

Hugs from a public bus conductor, from Kerala, South India. We are now facing duty pattern changes, salary issues, etc. due to huge losses. So I decided to connect with bus crew from the other side of the Globe. Happy to hear you.

[@dbvegan2840]

Great video again, be lucky!

[@M1keWrites]

You’re very kind. Many thanks for watching

[@ellisd3182]

My local stagecoach garage in North East has early buses starting from around 5.30am so its not too bad as a driver on early shift for Stagecoach North East.

[@TheTransportHub17]

Great video 👍

[@awatea36]

A new subscriber, I prefer early shifts, like you say, that way you have the rest of the afternoon/evening to yourself.

[@M1keWrites]

Welcome aboard. Earlies are ok, it’s just getting up in the middle of the night to go to work.

[@Sonicst180]

Awesome video am going to be applying to become a bus driver with National Express in June this is a great insight to the hours ect

[@M1keWrites]

Many thanks for watching. Glad it was useful

[@Sonicst180]

@@M1keWrites irll make sure when i pass all the tests irll drop you a message keep making great content

[@M1keWrites]

@@Sonicst180 that’ll be brilliant

[@M1keWrites]

@@Sonicst180 have you subscribed to my channel.

[@Sonicst180]

@@M1keWrites yes mate

[@DoubleDeckerAnton]

I prefer day and middle shifts. Spreads-splits from time to time and the odd late now and again. Earlies are too early for me...I'm usually 😴🛌💤🌃

[@M1keWrites]

I’m still feeling my way, but early earlies are not my favourite. Thanks for watching.

[@jbc825]

Another great video, can you not do permanent early middle or late starts?

[@M1keWrites]

In normal times, yes. At the minute there are to many drivers off, furloughed or sick.

[@HACKERHITMARKER333]

@@M1keWrites have you done a spreadover shift yet

[@M1keWrites]

@@HACKERHITMARKER333 we don really have them.

[@wadeyexplores]

How does the pattern go in terms of duty days and rest days? How many days do you get off in a row, then how many duty days?

[@M1keWrites]

Usually seven on two off until you have your long weekend every 3-4 weeks

[@alexwade9921]

How many days off is the long weekend?

[@lukemartin236]

Gotta love the old Das Web! 🤣

[@M1keWrites]

Thankfully it’s more or less idiot proof. Which is lucky........

[@lukemartin236]

@@M1keWrites I work for stagecoach too.... aside from the uniform and dasweb, it seems as though there are many differences! I usually do the same route day in, day out but today I've got a country route! Let's hope I remember it! 😂

[@M1keWrites]

@@lukemartin236 where abouts do you drive.

[@lukemartin236]

@@M1keWrites Cheltenham to Gloucester on the 94 most days. Driving out to Winchcombe today though (cyclists permitting 🤣)

[@M1keWrites]

@@lukemartin236 Stagecoach bought so many companies that kept their own ways of working, just under the Stagecoach umbrella.

[@ellisd3182]

Is it possible to just do early shifts? Also if you do the 4 day rota, do you get the 6 day (long weekend) similar to how you get the 4 day long weekend when you work 5 days?

[@M1keWrites]

They will try to accommodate you, if you want to do early or late shifts. We don’t have a common rota at Bromley. Each driver is rota’d to a certain route. Unless you’re on the spare list, where you could drive any route. We only have seven routes at Bromley excluding the school bus routes. Our long weekend is Thurs-Sun back in Monday.

[@pkeeley131]

I've just got a trainee driver job with Stagecoach. Do you know how the days off work? Are they consecutive days?

[@M1keWrites]

If you’re driving a normal rota. Usually a seven day rota, you would then have two day off. Ever four weeks you will have a long weekend. Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sunday.

[@pkeeley131]

@@M1keWrites Thank you!

[@clarenceishmael9615]

Do you do spreadover shifts? What do you think of them?

[@M1keWrites]

My garage doesn’t do spread overs, thank god. I wouldn’t like to do them.

[@clarenceishmael9615]

@@M1keWrites Thanks you lucky person. 😊

[@flapacat]

I’m on spreadover rota. Didn’t ask to be on it. But you get every other Saturday off with it. No Sundays. So I put up with it.

[@HACKERHITMARKER333]

@@flapacat what route

[@haj619]

Is it always 7 days on 2 days off or some weeks 5 days on and 2 days off?

[@M1keWrites]

Mostly but some Rota’s differ

[@HACKERHITMARKER333]

Will you learn more routes from your garage?

[@M1keWrites]

Eventually. Covid has put a block on route learning, or so they say.

[@CB-by9nf]

@@M1keWritesThats quite a contradicting one because you’re not stopping a passenger travelling from end to end on a route which is essentially route learning. What if you already know the route?🤷🏾‍♂️

[@carola-lifeinparis]

oh, we can see the upper floor on this one. Middle shift sounds like the least annoying. Do you have to wear masks when you have passengers? Over here in Paris, they wear masks, well everybody wears them ...

[@M1keWrites]

I'm going to do an upper deck tour tomorrow, just for you.