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Bus or coach driver

  • Hours

    Variable

  • Starting salary

    £12,000 + per year

Bus and coach drivers transport passengers on local, national or overseas journeys. Road safety is an important part of the job, and drivers are responsible for the safety of their passengers. If you love driving and enjoy meeting different people, this could be just the job you are looking for.

To be a bus or coach driver, you should have excellent driving skills and knowledge of traffic regulations. You’ll need to be patient and have a responsible attitude. A good sense of direction also helps.

To do this job you will need a Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) licence. To get this, you must hold a full EU driving licence and be aged at least 21 (or 18 to drive minibuses).



The work

As a bus driver, you would travel along local routes, making scheduled stops along the way to pick up and drop off passengers. Your duties would include:

  • taking fares and giving tickets
  • checking transport passes
  • giving timetable or route information
  • helping passengers who are having difficulty getting on or off the vehicle.

You could also work in community transport, where you would be driving schoolchildren, hospital patients and the elderly to their destinations.

Your duties as a coach driver would be similar to those on a bus, but the journeys would be longer. You could, for example, drive between cities, or drive people on day trips or holiday tours. Other tasks would include:

  • loading and unloading luggage
  • checking tickets and passes
  • making sure that all passengers are back on board for the return journey, and after any scheduled stops.

You may drive to overseas destinations. This would involve extra duties such as keeping passengers up to date with travel information and dealing with foreign authorities - for example when going through border controls.

You would be responsible for keeping the coach clean, doing basic vehicle checks before taking your vehicle out and reporting any incidents to inspectors back at the depot.


Hours

There are regulations for weekly maximum driving hours.

On local services you could work up to 48 hours a week including evenings and weekends, from 6 am to midnight. As a coach driver, you could drive for up to 56 hours a week, with a maximum of 90 hours over any two weeks.

If you take holiday tours, you could be away from home for several days at a time.


Income

Trainee and new drivers usually earn between £12,000 and £14,000 a year.

Experienced drivers earn £15,000 to £20,000 a year, and specialist tour coach drivers can earn around £25,000 a year.

Overtime and shift work could increase your earnings.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.


Entry requirements

To do this job you will need a Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) licence. To get this, you must hold a full EU driving licence and be aged at least 21 (or 18 to drive minibuses).

If you have a full EU driving licence, many companies will take you on and train you for your PCV licence. You could also train independently by taking private lessons through a local driving school. PCV licence application forms are available at your local Post Office.

Driver CPC

Bus and coach drivers also need to hold a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). New drivers need to gain this as well as a PCV licence. There are other arrangements for existing drivers. See the Transport section of the Business Link website for details of the Driver CPC, the training and the test.

You may be able to start as a volunteer driver working for community transport, which you could combine with another job, for example as a care assistant. To work for a non-profit-making community organisation, you will need to have held a full EU driving licence for two years and be aged at least 21.

See the Careers in Passenger Transport website for more details about bus and coach driving as a career.


Training and development

PCV driver training normally lasts between one and six weeks. You would need to pass a practical and theory driving test, and a medical check. You can get details of the PCV test from the Transport Office, or from the Driver and Vehicle Agency in Northern Ireland.

As a new recruit, you would receive induction training that includes operating ticket machines, learning routes, customer care, and health and safety matters.

You could take the following work-based NVQs:

  • NVQ Level 2 in Road Passenger Transport (with options to specialise in bus or coach transport)
  • NVQ Level 2 in Passenger Carrying Vehicle Driving.

You could also take the BTEC Certificate in Transporting Passengers by Bus and Coach. This is a short course, suitable for new entrants or drivers who want to continue their professional development. It can also be used to update your qualifications if you have not driven for some time.


Skills and knowledge

To be a bus or coach driver, you should have:

  • excellent driving skills and knowledge of traffic regulations
  • a patient manner and responsible attitude
  • an understanding of health and safety issues
  • the ability to read traffic signs and follow instructions
  • good numeracy skills
  • good customer service and clear communication skills
  • an assertive but polite approach to difficult passengers
  • good geographical knowledge.

If you work abroad, you would also need an understanding of overseas traffic laws and have some basic foreign language skills.


More information

People 1st (Opens new window)
2nd Floor
Armstrong House
38 Market Square
Uxbridge
Middlesex
UB8 1LH
Tel: 01895 817 000
www.people1st.co.uk

Transport Office (Opens new window) (Business Link information)
www.transportoffice.gov.uk

Careers in Passenger Transport (Opens new window)
www.careersinpassengertransport.org

Driver and Vehicle Agency (Opens new window) (for Northern Ireland)
County Hall
Castlerock Road
Coleraine
BT51 3TB
Tel: 0845 402 4000
www.dvani.gov.uk


Opportunities

You could work for companies running local bus services, those with long distance operations, or holiday tour companies in the UK or overseas.

With experience, you could become service controller or inspector, depot manager or driver training instructor.

You could also set up your own business. For this you would need to obtain an operator’s Certificate of Professional Competence (Passenger Transport).

You may find the following websites useful for vacancies and general reading (links open in a new window):

Transport Office (Opens new window) (to search for public service vehicle operators)
Coach Tourism Council (Opens new window)
Directgov (Opens new window) (Jobseekers page)

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework (Opens in a new window) there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.


Related industry information

Industry summary

The bus industry is represented by People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism. The passenger transport sector incorporates rail, aviation, bus and coach, taxi and private hire, light rail and metro, driver training, and UK waterways. The sector accounts for 735,000 jobs, most of which are within the bus and coach, taxi and private hire, rail, and aviation industries. The passenger transport sector includes a wide variety of roles, from pilots and transport planners, to essential support roles in finance, marketing and human resources.

The bus industry provides scheduled transport services in cities, towns and villages across the UK. A large number of those working in the industry are employed as bus drivers. There are also jobs in customer service, engineering and maintenance, together with jobs ensuring the delivery of services, such as planners, staff supervisors and administrators.

Key facts:

  • There are around 212,000 people working in the bus industry.
  • The average age of employees is 45 years.
  • In 2008/09, over 4,701 million journeys were made by bus and light rail, with numbers increasing.

Jobs in the industry fall into the following areas:

  • Passenger services – such as customer services agent, passenger support assistant, conductor, operational support (i.e. in planning, performance management or marketing and sales)
  • Driving – such as bus drivers, team leaders, shift supervisors, scheduler, performance manager
  • Operations and service delivery – such as administrative staff (in planning, HR, marketing and sales or performance monitoring), assistant manager, transport manager
  • Engineering – such as technician, master technician, engineer, team leader, mentor, supervisor, mechanic, fitter.

National and regional data

[N.B. Regional data presented are for the bus and coach industry and the passenger transport sector as a whole. Data derived from the Labour Force Survey, 2007.]

East Midlands – There are 15,400 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 14% of the workforce in the region is female. 14% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 62% is 26-49 years and 32% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; Welsh language; job related IT; and safety/accident management.

East of England – There are 20,300 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 25% of the workforce in the region is female. 9% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 7% of the workforce is under 25 years, 52% is 26-49 years and 41% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; job related IT; Welsh language; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.

London – There are 43,600 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 20% of the workforce in the region is female. 42% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 4% of the workforce is under 25 years, 70% is 26-49 years and 26% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; foreign languages; safety/accident management; booking operations; and logistics and scheduling of services.

North East – There are 9,200 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 17% of the workforce in the region is female. 3% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 51% is 26-49 years and 41% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; Welsh language; and safety/accident management.

North West – There are 30,000 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 16% of the workforce in the region is female. 14% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 61% is 26-49 years and 33% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; disability awareness; Welsh language; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.

South East – There are 29,700 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 25% of the workforce in the region is female. 11% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 48% is 26-49 years and 36% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; and job related IT.

South West – There are 19,400 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 19% of the workforce in the region is female. 4% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 4% of the workforce is under 25 years, 56% is 26-49 years and 40% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; job related IT; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.

West Midlands – There are 12,700 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 19% of the workforce in the region is female. 27% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 7% of the workforce is under 25 years, 65% is 26-49 years and 28% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; safety/accident management; foreign languages; maths/working with numbers; and disability awareness.

Yorkshire and the Humber – There are 23,000 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 13% of the workforce in the region is female. 18% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 62% is 26-49 years and 30% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; job related IT; and Welsh language.

Northern Ireland – There are 4,400 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 21% of the workforce in the region is female. Data are unavailable on the ethnicity of the workforce. 9% of the workforce is under 25 years, 74% is 26-49 years and 17% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; safety/accident management; job related IT; and disability awareness.

Scotland – There are 21,900 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 16% of the workforce in the region is female. 2% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 56% is 26-49 years and 36% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; and disability awareness.

Wales – There are 11,300 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 18% of the workforce in the region is female. 4% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 54% is 26-49 years and 38% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: Welsh language; foreign languages; disability awareness; safety/accident management; job related IT; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.


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