Don't touch my bus!

[@MrCityfm]

I have my own assigned coach, new from factory. It is mine for 7 years en after that i get a brand new one. I choose the interior, ameneties, and almost every detail myself whitin a set amount of money. The company chooses only the brand, model & amount of seats needed. Ik keep maintenance tracks by myself. This is the only way to keep a coach clean and in excellent condition. And all my things are in it as a standard. When every driver drives every coach, it will be a mess and things go wrong. My boss has a keyset, and i have one. Nobody else. Nobody else will drive it, except when i have more than a couple off days off or i'm sick or we haven a 2 driver operation off course. In the end is this approach the best one for drivers & guest. A coach is like a backpack. If it doesn't fit, you can't do your work in a good way.

[@coreybabcock2023]

That is awesome you get assigned your own bus and that you take pride in it

[@sj65535]

That idea was nixed at Peoria Charter when James tried to get warp nacelles and an Enterprise-D plaque added to his bus lol.

[@MrJamieBattle]

0:33 Its BUS DRIVER LIFE!!! But yeah, operators in motorcoach firms tend to have their own assigned vehicles more than public transit agencies. I'm glad you're giving us the full perspective.

[@BusDriverLife]

😎

[@brad_Ca]

I’ll drive anything that is newer than the 1996 MCI 102-DL3 that I drive now, especially if it has less than 1 million miles. I actually like the coach, it’s a good work horse.

[@staceytaylor8240]

I drove a bus for Bill and Dave Bales ! Great people to work for !

[@jeffherdz]

Having your own bus is great in many ways. 1. You can tell if something is not running correctly on the coach, if it's your daily driver. Which you can tell the Maintenance department of the issue. Someone that just hops bus to bus will not always know if a coach is running correctly. 2. You keep your bus far cleaner than the part-timer. If I knew that my bus was out the day before. I would show up at least a half hour early to make sure that the garbage was picked up, and the floors mopped. 3. Make sure that the toilet was dumped and cleaned up. re-stocked toilet paper. 4. Re-re adjust the mirrors on the coach. Not that big of a deal....but. re-adjusting my office seat. 5. Making sure that no one took advantage of your "" Secret hiding spot" . Where you stored essential supplies. Windex, wipes, garbage bags, paper tolwes, Mt Dew., cookies, and other important stuff. LOL !!

[@Unknown_Ooh]

It's not your bus it's the company's

[@jollygreen4639]

You’re correct but it’s commen to refer to a regularly assigned bus as “my bus”. It’s quicker and less confusing then saying “the vehicle that which has been assigned to I and of which becomes a great responsibility of my care”.

[@dddaddy]

I just found this video. I've never worked for a coach company (apart from a few moonlighting gigs), but I wanted to reflect on what you said about city transit companies usually not assigning buses to drivers. Here (European capital city) we actually do do that. The way it works is the guy starting work at the premises in the morning generally speaking has a bus to their name, and the other driver relieving them for the afternoon shift - typically - doesn't (but they often work the same shift/paddle so in practice it's like they have one too). It doesn't really require anything on the driver's side, but has much of the benefits you mention (being more familiar, taking better care, etc). On the other hand, it's not followed that strictly by the company. For example, if they have scheduled maintenance or have to 'give away' your bus to someone else for scheduling reasons (or sometimes by accident lol) they do it in a heartbeat without even telling you, and it's accepted on the drivers' part. This is just how it works. All in all it's not a very stric system, but it exists on paper and they make an effort to keep it.

[@poppydc43ify]

I am not a real Coach driver, but I drove a shuttle-type bus for 6 years. It was for my county's Senior Service department. We took senior citizens to day activities, appointments, and shopping. It was gratifying. I liked your approach to this subject. It covered all the angles. For the most part, our drivers had assigned routes and buses. It was better for the Seniors we served and the buses benefited greatly from driver ownership, Thanks for your fine videos. I look forward to them.

[@AhbaYah5]

I was assigned multiple coaches throughout my tenure with Magic Carpet Ride before I moved back to Georgia. From an old 97 Van Hool T945, 2010 Van Hool C2045, 2008 MCI J4500, 2014 Van Hool CX45, a 2016/2017 Prevost H3-45 & finally a 2019 Volvo 9700. I truly miss being at the helm of a motorcoach.

[@jameskerner7782]

When I lived in Queens, NY, we had small bus companies that gave drivers their own bus. He really maintained it.

[@jollygreen4639]

The company I worked for assigned a bus to full timers. Usually they always had it but occasionally they may have not due to scheduling overlaps. I was part time since 1985, and when I retired from my full time job, I was available to work all the time. There were a few buses that either weren’t assigned or the FT driver move to a newer one. So I asked if I could “claim it”. I could keep my cleaning supplies in it without having to pack and unpack it, along with some other things I need. I had a 2016 Vanhool for a few years until I had to retire. I knew the certain quirks it had and could keep a mental log if something wasn’t right. I also took very good care of it, and as clean as I could keep it. Best of luck to Jim, hope things work out for him.

[@rogerr.7228]

Same with the railroad industry. I could be wrong, but the majority of freight and passenger crew members aren't assigned to a specific train/locomotive. At those who run regional and over-the-road routes. I have no idea, but there might be some crew members permanently assigned to a certain train who run local. Don't know for sure, though. Railroad companies make many crew changes at certain locations. Companies such as Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, CSX, BNSF, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, Amtrak, Metro Link, etc.

[@matthewb9824]

Im fortunate enough to work for an employer who has me assigned my own coach and I treat it like I’m the one who coughed up the cash to buy it, meaning I keep it looking great. Good thing about this is when you get into the drivers seat you know the seat, mirrors, steering wheel, radio, etc are all right where you want them and don’t need to be adjusted because the last driver was a shorty! Also, best wishes to Jim as he is treated in hospital.

[@lonnieturner2193]

May God continue to bless Jim health Amen.

[@BottomLin3Op]

The downfall of working as a transit operator we don’t get our own bus, but as you drive the entire fleet some of the buses you remember which are the good ones.

[@rescueteam6706]

Our thought and prayers are with you, Jim!

[@brandonhurley9982]

Greyhound- I think it goes without saying that we don't assign drivers there own bus. That being said, we do have routes that a particular bus can stay on for weeks at a time. For example, we have a route that goes from Raleigh, NC to Norfolk, VA that I used to pull. I would bring that bus in on a return trip to Raleigh, fuel it up and it would go right back out on that same trip again until it either breaks down or another driver on a different run needs it (yes, they've stolen it from our hotel multiple times).

[@YesterchipsMIG]

My neighbor is a bus driver. He drives me every day to work and brings me safe home afterwards. He has a bus assigned to him and thats very convinient, because our village is at the very end of the line, so he doesn't have to drive to the company every morning. On the other hand the company doesn't have to have a big parking lot, because it's the same story with their other drivers. I think thats effficient and time saving. Talking about a regional bus in germany.

[@jaysmith1408]

Having several jobs, I had a job for a county transit authority, where buses were assigned to specific timetables, and so were the drivers, therefore the assignment of a bus to a driver was coincidental, and actually the inverse. A bus was assigned a driver. There were spare buses for obvious reasons, but there was only maybe two of them, so you were still familiar with the spares. On the other side, when I was driving truck, there was officially a motor pool of tractors, they were all fair game (except the million milers who did get their own trucks). However since dispatch issued the trucks, they could de facto assign them. Mine was 25654, backup 25684. As a rule of thumb, really stay on the dispatcher’s good side, especially if they assign trucks. If I was in the penalty box, I got a Freightliner.

[@mrAhollandjr]

I was a dispatcher . I subscribed to the idea of drivers being assigned their own coaches. They generally cared for the buses. However, that didn't mean they were the exclusive driver of the assigned bus. If the driver was off, his bus could still go out IF it wasn't due for maintenance. Maybe another driver whose assigned bus is in for maintenance will get that bus for a day or two. Vehicles don't have to sit because it driver is off. The operation i ran also had line runs and shuttles that were assigned buses. Some had assigned drivers while some had rotating drivers. If a rotation driver was assigned to a line run, his regular assigned bus DID NOT follow him on the line run.

[@mafarnz]

At Starline they tend to assign busses to specific yards, but not to specific drivers. That being said they DO assign specific buses to some contract long term customers, so if like me you end up doing those trips consistently then it kind of feels like you have your own coach. In my case it was a 2018 MCI J for a cruse ship contract. I loved having the same bus, and because I had the same (newer) coach each time I was more willing to do things like sweeping and dumping the lav at the end of the day, something drivers aren’t normally required to do. Because it felt like “my” coach I didn’t mind helping to keep it clean, especially on days that the one single bus washer was out. It was a source of pride to arrive each trip with a clean fresh smelling shiny new coach.

[@marcharris3237]

Hello.My name is Marc.I like your bus videos.I drove 20 years for Greyhound,and we never had assigned buses, except on some charter work.Keep up the good work.

[@ScuMeMrBusDrvr]

I work for Academy, out of the Baltimore terminal. Assigned buses varies from terminal to terminal, based on what the GM decides. My terminal does assign buses to full time drivers. For me, I prefer it this way. I’m an enthusiast so I take pride in my equipment, no matter what company. I keep my bus clean. Clean/polish the dash. Sweep it/Mop it(when on multi day). Shine the tires. Polish the rims. I make sure it gets washed and dumped before every trip and when needed(the cleaning crew has a list and rotation they follow, depending on how trips stack, yours could get missed. So gotta make sure it’s washed/dump sometimes). As mentioned, when a driver is in the same bus all the time they know when things aren’t right or somethings off. They track damage done better. I work 5 days a week as a full timer, usually 6 and 7 days even through the slow season. Obviously, if I’m off(or any driver with an assigned bus is off) and the bus is needed we don’t expect it to sit, not our name on the title. But if something happens and it’s not reported, it’s easier for a driver to say “hey this happened while I was off” and it’s easier to find out what happened and how. Not to mention, buses are like giraffes, no two have to same spots- so driving the same bus allows a driver to become familiar with each buses quirks and accommodate for them. Not to mention, as someone who has all their own cleaning supplies(polish, cleaners, extra trash bags, broom/mop, rags, air freshener, etc) it’s easier to store on one bus rather than load and unload for each trip/day if always getting assigned a different bus.

[@jollygreen4639]

I agree with your post. I was the same way when I drove.

[@BenLomonRail]

I work for Transdev, operating a part of the suburban transit outside of Montreal called "exo". We have a good sized fleet, though very small compared to the larger transit systems in the region. While it's not mandated as such, many drivers get the same bus for most of their shifts. The difference in our case is that we operate 3 types of vehicles: minibuses (Ford-Crestline), low-floor city buses (Nova Bus LFS) and a handful of coaches (Prevost X3-45), and depending on the routes a driver is assigned to, they may drive different types every day, and sometimes even during the same day. So in those cases, they likely change buses on a pretty frequent basis. When I first started around Christmas time last year, I didn't have a fixed booking, so I would drive different routes every day to substitute for drivers who weren't on duty. So I never had the same bus, let alone the same type of bus. But once I got a fixed booking, I ended up getting one that had only one type, and have mostly driven the same bus every since.

[@Yellwolf]

Amen ! Jim get well!

[@timbo389]

A driver I know has resorted to opening a window to put the pole vault pole inside the coach instead of using a luggage bay. Maybe it was the coach he was assigned, but it is what it is. My dad, when I was about 12, found a gameboy game on a bus he was driving and I had inherited it.

[@cindywinkler2441]

Nice work! Love the drone shots too👍

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Thanks Cindy!

[@mrj-charles6383]

I am a truck driver so same things happens there also. I am not a fan of slip seating if people do not know how to clean properly. The last company I talked to the owner and we came up with a plan to keep the trucks clean. They also equiped each truck with supplies to clean when done for the day. Paid on duty so nothing done for free there. We also had chase drivers to pick up drivers who ran out of hours on the road. Then the truck could keep going with a new driver.

[@coreybabcock2023]

Your absolutely right about assigning a bus to a driver cause they can identify any issues and knowing what the driver does to the bus too and I really love the star trek and full metal jacket references

[@a-totally-random-person]

I wish I had my own coach. I feel like my fellow drivers never post-trip sometimes.

[@dutchbrad8695]

I drive for Cardinal part time. Buses are assigned to the full time drivers, I have driven those buses, but it is much more likely to drive from a pool of unassigned buses. If I was full time, I would like a coach assigned to me. Much easier to move less stuff in and out after each trip. Prayers to brother Jim and his family. ❤ Keep up the great work James! I've been in Chicago a lot, always see the Peoria Charter buses around town. So far no James sightings!! Maybe you stopped for lunch at Jim's Original. YUMMMMMM

[@donzender9008]

Cardinal out of Columbus, Ohio?

[@seangarner8209]

Your gonna Beat this JIM! Sending Prayers! ❤

[@motorcoachtech7615]

James, our company did assign coaches to f/t drivers, but p/t drivers sometimes drove them when they had time off. There was some good points to this. The number one upside is ‘PRIDE’, full time drivers always had pride in their units and kept them immaculate and always reported issues to me. The number one down side was I alway had complaints from them about the p/t drivers using the he equipment. Also some f/t drivers started to turn into, for lack of a better term ‘hoarders’ with the amount of stuff they ‘needed’ to operate the equipment. Sometimes a good p/t driver can tell you some problems the unit is having, where the f/t didn’t recognize them due to a very gradual deterioration. Just a couple of pointers. Get well Jim, our ‘bus’ community is pulling for you. Thanks James and have a good week

[@Kawasquid101]

Hope you get better Jim. God bless. And great channel 🇦🇺

[@UNDERTAKER2621]

My pop use to drive for the MTA & he drove a MCI for over 12 years & at his garage all the coach driver's was given there own bus & it was cool some ppl had fam pictures or like for holiday's they would do small decoration 🎉

[@Jonny_____]

Great video as usual. The company I work for in the UK based in Manchester we have allocated coaches for full time staff so the vast majority of the time you drive a set vehicle which in return you have all your cleaning supplies etc on board as well as fitting your own comforts/personalising your coach slightly. Although there are numerous cases when you’ll drive someone else’s coach depending on the job requirements, maintenance schedules and the availability of the regular driver of said coach regarding drivers hours & rest periods etc. it seems to work for us with a fleet of 23 coaches

[@johnwillatt7162]

Jonny do you know any coach drivers interested in moving to Canada. We are now able to fast track them through Immigration.

[@Cupertinorail]

That van is also very important for tram and city bus drivers because there are some times where we need to switch out a crew member for a reason that relates to a shift or route transfer if we are unable to ride our vehicle as a passenger. Take it from me I had to drive a transfer van/Honda/Chevy a few times just because I am switching tram lines.

[@jenniegazdik4863]

I am that hoarder you talk about! Ask any of my co-workers. If I don’t have it packed in a cubby somewhere it doesn’t exist. Hehe. No wait, I don’t have a kitchen sink, but would a bucket do? I have dish soap and water!!! And even a bucket! I’ve saved many a driver and client tho with my excessive “someone lives here I think” clutter. But at least it’s organized! When I need a different bus due to client needs I simply pack a small bag with a few items and leave the rest in my regular coach. Anyways….. Send my love and healing vibes on to Jim.

[@scottdowney4865]

I now drive a school bus. Back when I drove motorcoaches we were not assigned our own bus. We had a line run from DC to NY that had several busses strictly for that line run. Whoever was driving that route would use one of those. The others were for trips/charters.

[@prevost8686]

I’ve never worked for a company that assigned drivers their own coach. Probably because here in the Southeast companies rely almost 100% on part-time drivers. One thing is certain, since returning after COVID buses are getting damaged at a much higher rate than before and it seems to be the case for most of the companies based here in my state. New drivers I suppose.

[@coreybabcock2023]

Yes it's cause some people dgaf and only care about the money and not taking pride and joy in what is letting them get that money you know

[@thegodblogger3812]

What state are you in?

[@coreybabcock2023]

@@thegodblogger3812 ?

[@lebrynz]

At all the companies i worked for (urban transit and suburban travel), they either assign buses to drivers or to services, sometimes both. They assign buses to full-time drivers and to special services, then they have a panel for occasional drivers. It is less common in urban transit but it does happen for drivers who do the same services over and over

[@claytonbrown7100]

I was trucker and hated slip seating. You spend time and effort keeping it clean and running smoothly just to have some steering wheel holder trash it. I wasn’t sure if coach drivers had dedicated units so I learned something from your video James, as I always do. Thx for posting.

[@protector22222]

an interesting comment on this video. I work at an airport with employee parking off site. They use glaval shuttle buses to shuttle us to the airport. the airport has a transport center where buses for things like park n fly, rental cars and employee parking. recently they moved the stop for the employee shuttle. Its now in a spot that is basically impossible for the shuttles to get close to the curb without either backing up or deliberately running the front passenger tire up on the sidewalk. Many drivers decide to run it up on the curb, which would cause tire wall damage. You would rthink that the company that runs that service would not be happy with them as that will cause damage. but would a shuttle bus ( as you said a boxtruck with a passenger cabin) really get that much tire and drive damage from that? or can those handle it?

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Hey Adam. Thanks for sharing this. And that is a great question. I would imagine that even if a cat would to go up on a curb daily like those shuttle buses do, it would definitely ware out the tires s lot faster and cause side wall damage if the driver approaches the curb from a shallow angle. I definitely would not want my driver's doing that. Great question.

[@coreybabcock2023]

​@@MotorcoachWorld agree curbing a tire causes sidewall damages and over time essentially scuffs off the rubber and will expose the steel belts and by then it's done for

[@johnjkiwi7818]

Thank you James for another great and informative video. It is similar with trucking companies that assign drivers their own trucks to drive and other firms that don't. 👍👍👍

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Hey John. Thanks for commenting. So did you get assigned your own truck?

[@johnjkiwi7818]

@@MotorcoachWorld Thank you James. Unfortunately I don't drive trucks. What I do is it is my job and responsibility to get loads ready, checked off and closed before drivers load their trucks and drive off. The job can be challenging at times because truck drivers are definitely not renown for their patience!!!.

[@MotorcoachWorld]

@@johnjkiwi7818 ah ok gotcha. So you are one of those unsung heroes of the industry that usually are underappreciated. I salute you.

[@rogerr.7228]

@Motorcoach World You might not be a Wisconsin Badgers fan like I am LOL. But anyway, have you ever seen the coach buses from Badger Bus Lines out of Madison, WI? Not only are their motorcoaches beautiful, but they also have the Bucky Badger mascot on them, too. The red Van Hool CX45s they currently have in their fleet are nothing but gorgeous 🤩 Same with the Prevost X3-45s they had before the Van Hools.

[@jacobweiser7632]

​@MotorcoachWorld hi! I love motor coach buses but I actually drive a bluebird school bus, have you ever driven a school bus ? Is it really much different than driving a school bus, I have a passenger endorsement which means that I'm allowed to drive a motor coach and maybe I'll do that at some point, thanks for your videos, I really appreciate that.

[@tidewatersanta9834]

First time viewer. The topic caught my attention. You did a superior job of narration and editing. Your points on assigning a coach to a driver and why or why not is on-point. Thank you.

[@axysdnyd]

I just want to say I always enjoy your videos James. You do such a great job pitting together unique and interesting stuff. While I am not a motorcoach operator I am a professional driver who drives 18 wheelers. I love the freedom of the open road and the changing scenery. I enjoy seeing the many different coach bus operators I see along with some of the amazing equipment. Thanks to your channel, I can now easily pick out what make/model motorcoach I see driving down the road. I have a particular fondness for Prevost, especially the X3 45 models. I don't have anything against the H3 45s but the X3 is by far my favorite. They just have an awesome appearance. Always look forward to seeing your next video. Keep up the awesome work. And as always, stay safe and keep it between the lines.

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Thanks Matt. Appreciate your kind words. If you ever find your self near Champaign IL let me know. We CAN go out for lunch!

[@axysdnyd]

@@MotorcoachWorld that would be so awesome. I'd definitely love to take a tour of your facility and see those beautiful coaches in person. I've seen a few on I80 when I pass through Illinois, they always look sharp and I give your drivers the thumbs up. They probably think I'm some lunitic or something but that's ok. I give them a nice light show as I pass by (I flash my park lights as the company I drive for has lots of chicken lights on our trailers) to say thanks for being courteous. I might just take some time off and come up to Champaign so we can do lunch. Keep doing your awesome videos!!!

[@RoadHouseEnt]

I am lucky enough to have my own assigned coach. She is a 45 foot Prevost Entertainer Coach with 2 lounges and 12 bunks (Coffins).

[@taarrisgriffin3774]

MY BROTHER JAMES I LOVE YOUR PROFESSIONALISM AND THE CLARITY OF YOUR CAMERA 🎥

[@edsommers130]

I am one to not to prefer a particular vechicle...i am a standby driver going everywhere with different riders so being qualified on all vechicles in the fleet allows dispatch. To send me off wherever AND I always take care of whatever vechicle I am assigned to

[@BusDriverLife]

Great video! I’m asked this question a lot as well! I may have to expand on what you already covered regarding transit bus drivers! Prayers for Jim!

[@TheTransitCamera]

I'm not certain, but I believe assigning operators specific buses for fixed-route public transit in the US is actually a potential legal issue in many cases due to bus fleets having a mix of vehicle ages. Assigning an older bus to an operator who happens to be assigned a route serving areas with poorer or higher percentages of minority residents can be viewed as potential bias or prejudice. That said I've certainly seen smaller systems where drivers tend to have the same bus each shift. This seems much more common in operations where buses have assigned stalls in the yard or garage vs. just being lined up in certain sections based on make/model/type or series.

[@mls515]

One of my former companies used to assign busses. They didn’t anymore, but everyone still knew which busses used to be assigned to who and would sometimes still refer to a certain coach as “Lee’s bus” or “Tom’s bus”, etc. A couple of the drivers would actually go out of their way to clean and polish the aluminum wheels and get them looking really nice. That practice stopped when the asshole head mechanic at the out-of-town HQ played games with them and swapped some or all of the wheels to other busses. Same genius who removed all of the lav aux dump tanks in a bunch of MCI D-models in case he needed easy access to that part of the engine compartment.

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Ouch. Why would they do that? Sounds cruel.

[@stevedavenport1202]

IMO, giving a senior full time driver their own bus works because they just care more about the vehicle and are aware of all the little aches and pains that need some TLC from the mechanics. I had my own mini bus on the commuter route I operated and stayed on top of all the nooks and crannies missed by the cleaning crew.

[@roaddogg800]

I just delivered a New Mercedes Demo coach to your facility in Peoria! Looks like a nice operation.

[@MotorcoachWorld]

I wish I could have been there to meet you. I can't wait to go pick up the rest

[@Eric-hq2yj]

Hi James, another great video! It is interesting to me that in your experience, smaller companies prefer to assign full-time drivers to a particular coach. I live in the Pittsburgh, PA area and around here it seems that the larger fleets of 15-20 or more coaches tend to be the ones who assign their full-time drivers to a particular coach. I work for a small company with 7 motorcoaches (6 Prevost H345s and 1 Temsa TS35) in the fleet and we do not assign drivers! I am a part-timer now, and only drive weekends or the occasional short evening trip, but we all drive everything in the fleet. The only caveat is, sometimes if we have a newer driver who doesn't have much experience, they will keep that individual in the older Prevosts and the Temsa until they get some experience and prove to not be damage prone. At one time, we did assign the full-timers to particular buses, however, we stopped during this because it caused coaches to need to be turned (our term for getting it ready for the next trip) too often, so we went to a policy of assigning a trip to a coach and a driver to the trip. I was attached to one of our coaches. It was a 2001 H345. It was our oldest coach for several years at the end, but even then, I would choose it over the new 2017 we had just purchased at the time! That bus (703) just fit me! Thanks for your insight and for all the great work you do for our industry!! I appreciate you! Prayers for Jim!

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Hey Eric. Very interesting Insight! Thanks for sharing this. Just goes to show that big or small, many companies do things differently.

[@juniperwinters3277]

My company does assigned full time charter drivers a bus, but they also make sure it's understood that sometimes that bus will go with someone else, but they try to give us priority to our buses. I have my own assigned bus with my company.

[@Rheilffordd]

I am giving this video an immediate like for the opening sequence with the drone shots! This video rings true to me! Like when you did the “Fan Mail” video, my favourite transit bus I use to steer regularly I became very fond of in the months I drove it.

[@LukeTR2000]

I work for a bus company in the West Midlands, UK and they don't assign a bus to a particular driver. However, there are a couple of duties where it feels like you are since you take it out of the garage and then back to the garage. I find having a mix between vehicles allows for a varied experience and you get to know the bus fleet a little better. Some buses are assigned to a particular route which could mean you do end up driving the same bus quite frequently. There are a few on the one route where you can feel their performance decreasing with time and then there will be a sudden improvement in one or two that may have had some maintenance. The buses at the garage I work for have some very tired vehicles which will be withdrawn from the fleet over the next 5 years or so. There were one type of bus I have just missed out on driving in service which is the ADL ALX400 bodied buses.

[@MartieOgborn]

James, I am always impressed with your videos. Thanks for posting. I am sending positive vibes to Jim.

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Thanks Martie. How are you doing? I miss having you here .

[@colinfogarty7150]

We at Lorenz do not have assigned buses! Some drivers do have the same bus, and they try to keep full time drivers in the same bus so they can be comfortable and have stuff they leave in the bus. I have been in the same bus now for two weeks and am very happy with it. I think it helps drivers learn the buses better to have them in it all the time and I also think it helps them keep the buses cleaner as our drivers are required to clean the buses after every trip. So to me the buses stay cleaner and while on trips they stay cleaner because we know whether we have the cleaning supplies needed for the bus. It also helps keep the bus stocked correctly when we have the same bus, with extra oil, coolant, tp etc. I feel full time drivers should be kept in as few buses as possible. I get things happen to buses that they need to change a bus on us for maintenance and such.

[@darnellfernandes2078]

Great video James and also hope and pray 🙏 for Jim and his family hope you get better soon 🙂

[@westerlywinds5684]

Better be careful what you ask for. I asked for my own coach, and they gave me the crappiest one in the fleet to drive daily. Hooray. I became a better driver because of it but I always was afraid of the commercial vehicle inspection or police, as I’m sure they would find something wrong. I eventually asked for a better one but the short answer is, no, I do not have my own coach, simply because I don’t want to drive on Sundays and Fridays, which make me part time.

[@adlam97531]

when i drove a bus in the UK, I was not assigned the same bus, but for some routes you did, you had the same bus, and if you was on it regular , it felt like it was yours. We used to have a small plate on the side, which was called a running number and that was your bus for the duty you was driving. If you did not like a certain bus, sometimes you could swap the plate over for a nicer one if no one was looking, but they did not like you doing it officially. There was one bus I hated and I always seemed to get it, until I broke it!

[@PoppaDRides]

Hey James. I really enjoy your channel. I'm a new motorcoach operator. I work for Burke Christian Tours in NC. Most of their drivers are PT. They do not assign coaches. Thanks for providing this content. I had helped me quite a bit.

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Hey Poppa D. thanks man. Appreciate the kind words. Be safe out there. Maybe one day we will meet over the road somewhere. Hey send me a picture of you and your bus and I will give you a shout out during a intro. Email to [e-mail] if you want to.

[@PoppaDRides]

@@MotorcoachWorld will do. I'm headed down to Daytona today. I'll be driving on the 13th. I'll get ya a picture.

[@castletransport]

At the company I work for, they assign drivers to coaches/busses but the routes also change. One day I might be doing one school pick up then the next day, same bus different route. Like today, I did just that. One route in the morning, and another in the afternoon. That's fine with me because I get used to multiple routes with different busses

[@Highwaycoachdriver]

I work for Ontario Northland. Buses are not assigned. I prefer Prevost

[@geraldjones8032]

Great video. When I was with Continental Trailways, drivers where not assigned buses. You had different bus every day. You may get the same bus a couple days later. Good video.

[@davidwilliams6645]

Sending prayers to Jim. May our Lord heal you 🙏 🙏 🙏

[@MrDexcars]

Thanks for the video and thoughts and prayers go to Jim hope he get well soon and best wishes to his family I’m a retired coach driver over here in the uk a lot of companies allocate you your own coach if you’re full time touring driver like I used to be touring around Europe

[@felixlozada5969]

Good evening, James.

[@adventureswithharpdog4123]

Hey James want to start off by saying I love all of your videos!! I'm getting ready to take my motorcoach skills test and I wanted to know what is some of the best advice to be prepared and ready for. Thank you!! Stay safe.

[@MotorcoachWorld]

The best advice I can give any driver is never get too comfortable in that coach bus. Always be a little afraid of it. The day you brag to yourself that you got this and that you are no longer afraid of driving such a large vehicle, is when you're going to start having having accidents. Always appreciate how large and heavy and how much damage that motor coach can do if you don't respect it enough. I wish you luck. Maybe one day we will meet each other over the road. Send me a picture of you and your bus and I will give you a shout out of one of my videos. [e-mail]

[@coreybabcock2023]

​@@MotorcoachWorld that is absolutely right James you know my van I drive but I still get apprehensive of being on the roads cause it keeps your senses and awareness heightened

[@felixlozada5969]

Good evening James. And thank you very much on these great tips videos they really helped and come in handy for other bus drivers.. I've been driving school bus since 2001 and on June 10th of 2023 I will have 2 years of driving Motor Coach Buses 🚌.. It's been an amazing Journey.. I drive school bus for Auxilio for Lorain City schools plus on the weekends I drive for Precious Cargo Trailways it's a Motor Coach Bus company out of Newbury Township, Ohio from Gueaga County.. Precious Cargo Trailways only have MCI Bus and VanHool Buses in our fleet... At Auxilio we have Blue Bird Vision school busses plus International School busses to... I will have Mr. Jim Littler in my prayers 🙏.. Thank you very much Mr. James and God bless you always...

[@dzldriver]

I am fortunate enough to drive highway coach for a hockey team in Western Canada that owns its own bus. It's a 2019 Prevost H345, and I just rolled 80,000 km on it. It is a dream to drive. But you are right. I am attached to this bus and it is my baby. I know every little quirk on it, and can tell when something is haywire. But even on its worst day, it is still better than the transit buses that I drive full time.

[@silversides2011]

When I hired a driver part of his or her training was to make themselves part of the bus they were assigned because for obvious reasons if the bus went down due to driver error or neglect it was easier to find fault and to retrain. I also looked over the personal vehicle of any driver applicant and if it was well maintained then it was a plus for him or her because I knew that the assigned bus would be cared for also.

[@LegoWormNoah101]

Now, here's 2 interesting questions as sort of follow-ups: 1. should bus companies allow drivers to take their assigned busses home? Benefits and drawbacks 2. Can a privately owned bus be leased to other companies?

[@MotorcoachWorld]

NO sure on the leased thing. I think Insurance would have a problem with that as it gets too messy. But as far as taking them home, the answer is yes. Many companies allow the driver to take them home as long as they take care of it and make sure there is a suitable place to park it without getting a ticket.

[@Phylonyous]

I'm excited for the lost and found episode!!!

[@truckerhollywood2635]

Hi James, I work for Southern express in apex ,nc , I love your channel

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Thank you so much. Maybe one day we'll meet over the road. Safe travels to you.

[@timmelkoonce8609]

I would imagine that probably only school bus drivers or something like that would get assigned a specific bus.

[@flembag32]

Thanks James, another great vid :-) Big shout out to Jim from another bus nut ❤ Can't wait to see "What's found on buses, post trip" I can only imagine Cheers from Trenton, Ont.

[@MotorcoachWorld]

LOL Thank you Dr. Flemenstein. Stay tuned for it! You will be shocked at some of the stuff that turn up.

[@ThatOneGuy077]

As many times I come to Illinois to visit family and driving a big rig. I finally saw one of yalls buses. Saw it went oh motorcoach world!😂 Any who, in the trucking industry, my old company vs my current. If you are out of the truck for more then a week, they take your truck. Current I can take a month off and then hop back in it and go. And I can't stand slip seating or basically sharing a truck. Turn those offers down. Pay isn't enough for me to rip my things out and put them back in that exact same truck. Week on week off mess. I good with my company and my current truck.

[@berylwhite2983]

Great video take care many prayers Jim get well soon

[@oldschoolnerd007]

On my knees prayers for you Jim

[@jeromep3182]

I’m not a coach driver but I am a school bus driver and I do love having my route and my own assigned bus. I’ve been driving my route and my bus for about 5 years now and I named my bus Vanessa and she been a great bus.

[@railvlogger1439]

Get well Jim.

[@JTEllis]

During my time driving charters, the company I worked for did not as a rule assign buses to drivers. The full time long serving drivers usually drove the same make bus if not the same one. Ball teams typically were carried on coaches without carpeted floors. How does your company handle the mandatory rest period for drivers switched out on trips requiring more than 10 hours of driving time?

[@MotorcoachWorld]

We have leg and relief drivers that switch out. Like a replay race.

[@jnk26]

Lol 10 hour limits. Man I really dislike the US rules. Here in Canada we're allowed 13hrs drive 14hrs on duty. I just just yesterday I did a 13hr rounder(2nd this week). I have done 5 13hr trips in 5 days. 69.75hrs on duty. That's a well-deserved 36hrs off just to start all over again lol.

[@dreyski360]

I own a relatively newer charter company with only 3 buses on our fleet. We don’t assign to a driver because our trips are pretty random, but we are considered this move in the future for certain sports teams. That said I’d love to connect with you sometime to talk shop!

[@merrittvillekid]

I want to drive ALL buses and have flexibility of know how all equipment works.

[@grasscutter1963]

Hello James, it’s so nice to see a new video come out I think I’ve probably watch of them LOL. Hey while I got you, please tell me how to find the Patreon on your channel I can’t find it nowhere to join a specific please. ✌️out.

[@actemple3282]

Great blog We are not assigned our own coaches When I was OTR I was

[@realrico02]

These videos are so good I love both channels, but my opinion my fav is the channel where you vlog your driving lmao. I'm still not 21 yet but I have class A with my Endorsements Can't wait to start driving, Your def my role model/hero when it comes to buses!

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Hey Marrico. Man I don't know what to say. Thanks for the kind words. Send me a picture of you and your bus or truck and I'll give you a shout out .

[@realrico02]

You can call me Rico and Sure where to send it!

[@MotorcoachWorld]

@@realrico02 [e-mail] Thanks Rico

[@kevinsnell1622]

In times past I’ve been put in a bus just because the shop wants to know what’s wrong with it. 😂

[@prevostandbbq4451]

Love your videos 👍 Always learning something from them. Could you put a video out of driving tips ie turns, what to do when approaching a intersection when you think the light is about to change and tips and tricks you have learned about driving these fine machines. “Prevost on “ thanks

[@marcusbean6003]

Im just starting to get into the bus driving world. My company operates both school buses and motorcoaches. Motorcoach is inly assigned by trip, not to driver, we dont much business to need that. I drive a school bus and that bus is assigned to me AND my route for the school year unless it needs maintenance.

[@texasabbott]

As motorcoaches have fleet numbers, have you thought of having staff give them names as well? Some airlines (JetBlue) do this. Names of counties, cities, notable places. Or cool nicknames and positive adjectives for their unique particularities, looks and features. Imagine a bus emblazoned with decals with the names of famous fictional spacecraft…

[@Mr-pn2eh]

If I was a coach operatator. I would want to be assigned my own bus (dependable D preferably).

[@MotorcoachWorld]

I like your style. I loved the Ds. Many drivers didnt want to drive them because they were older and more basic. But I always tried to get my self assigned to the D model when I could. Old Stick and rudder Coach.

[@kenstudios]

Another great video. Maybe you know the answer to this question. Is there a reason why I see mostly Prevost conversions in the RV industry than the MCI or Van Hool?

[@RipRoaringGarage]

Good luck Jim. Praying for you. Hey James. How you been. Have been busy. Let me know when you'll be free to call. I have to edit today..and get a lot of stuff done. Crazy few weeks...good and bad. Such is life, right?

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Hey I was just thinking about you this weekend when I was changing my oil in my truck. Its been a tough few months. But Overall im doing fine. I shouldnt complain. There are people out there doing much worse than I. Yea we are over due for a phone call. Maybe sometime during the morning?

[@RipRoaringGarage]

@@MotorcoachWorld I can give you a call tomorrow. Im waking up early these days, and tomorrow Ill have some time as the video goes live. I actually tried working full time (was a mistake...not sure if Im just not ready or if the damage to my spine is what it is). I felt that since Im working out that its the same as working 8 hours a day. I lasted three days until I was paralyzed. I wont lie, it was a big blow to my ego...so now I have to figure out something. I really want to get off SSDI but have no clue what the next step is. I dont think the channel will ever make money. Those days are over, but there are other things Im looking into. A yearly car show is something Im actively pursuing. Secured a location, and its looking promising. Would be cool if you showed up with your truck! (or a bus LOLLL). Obviously first years would be here, but would like to rotate around in different areas, Miami, Chicago, Detroit (maybe lol). Talk to you soon, brother.

[@AlexLopez-rx8lw]

I do line runs, I try to keep the same bus, however it needs to be pulled every 5k miles for mantiance. Also depends on what the charter board looks like and what's avaliable.

[@Whoswac]

I work for Cline Tours. We dnt have assigned buses neither.

[@MotorcoachWorld]

You guys saved our butts a few months ago. I love your company.

[@terawattz]

the things i dont like about sharing buses, not all driver return them as they find them,, isles and underfloor not swept and mopped.toilet not dumped or cleaned,vehicle body not washed,seat belts not clicked back into place,and worst of all not refuelled and ad-blue added,they are the reasons why i prefer to be assigned my own coach

[@adventureoflinkmk2]

At best I get the same bus for a whole week at BCRTA And for the longest time I got the same bus assigned to me at Jaco Limo too

[@ranceography9598]

love the New Intro

[@MotorcoachWorld]

Thanks! It was time lol.