Go with Ritchies in Glasgow. Thought they were great. Go for it. Good luck
You are almost exactly the same as me mate,I was 17.5 years with Worstbus and left a couple of months ago and absolutely don’t regret it at all. I started one job and it didn’t work out(my fault, couldn’t adjust to nightshift) and found another job right away (with plenty of other options available if that doesn’t work out) so there is plenty of work out there.I now work Monday to Friday with earlier finishes and while I have dropped a bit of money(this will become less shortly) I would never go back.
You will find the Class 2 training very easy (shorter vehicle,sitting higher up and real mirrors) after the buses and the Class 1 is also fairly easy.
My advice would be to go for it 
About the same as me mate. I did a few years on Class 2 tgen went coaching but now I’m doing my Class 1 and will be getting back into HGV work. Fed up of the people.
Someone said earlier National Express… one word; don’t. But coaching in general is something that might be worth a hit. Try Megabus, it’s a lot more chilled out than National Express (their control don’t call unless they need to whereas NX call you for everything). They’ve got a depot in ■■■■■■■■■■■ that is mostly express coaching work.
Cheers for all replies people I’ve made my mind up in 100% going for HGV. I’ll sit my medica and theory test in next month get Xmas out the way and book myself in for training in February my next holidays. Was considering taking sickies and doing training earlier but the training is all over Glasgow as are my current colleges 
Is probably spend half my training watching out for busses with familiar faces rather then watching those mirrors.
Yep definitely watch out for those Glasgow bus drivers lol…Now once you sort out your HGV you need to nail your truck manufacturer to the pole …What you will and wont drive …Now the only passenger you will carry who wont complain is the immigrant on your axle
Why are Firstbus constantly advertising for drivers £1000 sign on if already licenced or training if not what’s the main cause guys retireing or guys leaving due to money /shifts /bosses ?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
LostSomeWhere:
Why are Firstbus constantly advertising for drivers £1000 sign on if already licenced or training if not what’s the main cause guys retireing or guys leaving due to money /shifts /bosses ?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I would say the live cargo always moaning about something
blue estate:
LostSomeWhere:
Why are Firstbus constantly advertising for drivers £1000 sign on if already licenced or training if not what’s the main cause guys retireing or guys leaving due to money /shifts /bosses ?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I would say the live cargo always moaning about something
I was offered a job with them in Worcester a few months ago. I turned it down because they expect the drivers to work long split shifts but only pay them for time behind the wheel.
So when on duty for a typical 12 or 13 hour shift you only get paid for 7 or 8 hours.
That works out to well below minimum wage.
That and impossible timetables, drunk and rowdy passengers, noisy school kids etc.
Bigdee:
There was a time when as part of a crew, we would wait till someone just gets on, the bell would go, then accelerate sending them from the back to the front in 2 seconds…ha ha or watch someone run for the bus, then drive off…or in the days of the open back buses, some idiot would jump on whilst we`re moving, just having left traffic lights etc, then watch as they go flying…another laugh was when we switched to being inside instead of a single cab…and having air doors, let them get off but lock the granny trolley inside…i always opened the door after, but little things made me laugh, and made my day…nothing too serious.
Ha ha ha, I remember when I was in a bar in America, and I got chatting to a Geordie who’d emigrated, and been driving Greyhounds for years. He told me about some big fat woman who got on his bus, and was giving him some crap. Later, he saw her waddle down the aisle to the toilet which was at the back of the bus, and the door faced forward down the aisle. He came up to a toll road, so he hit his brakes really hard for the toll booth, and she came crashing through the toilet door with her knickers around her ankles, lol. Apparently she sued, and won. But he said he didn’t care, as it was worth it.
First are always advertising because the shifts are crap,the buses are crap and the drivers are treated like crap by the incompetent management.
norb:
Yep definitely watch out for those Glasgow bus drivers lol…Now once you sort out your HGV you need to nail your truck manufacturer to the pole …What you will and wont drive …Now the only passenger you will carry who wont complain is the immigrant on your axle
Can confirm, was in Glasgow last week, the bus drivers are nutters!
Dingy:
First are always advertising because the shifts are crap,the buses are crap and the drivers are treated like crap by the incompetent management.
Sums up First perfectly in one sentence
My first few years was spent at stagecoach doing service runs, i then moved onto coaching. Was nice for a bit but soon did my nut in.
Best move i made was getting out and doing my hgv!
You wont regret the move
Bigdee:
Hello Bigdee good luck with your change.
No problem with your experience.Quick question though.
I travel the country a lot sometimes by truck sometimes in a car and when in Cities we tend to use local buses.
Big city in Scotland (not Glasgow) and I find a lot of bus drivers not so good.
Why can’t they use air brakes correctly! No progressive braking. It’s on off on off with passengers struggling to cope!
30 mph speed limits are never adhered to. They all seem in such a rush. I have heard with Stagecoach you are pushed for time but surely not to the point of having to break limit?Not having a go at you fella but any idea why we have these conditions?
Honestly it’s very rare to find a decent driver.
At present on a bus in Yorkshire and this guy using brakes as he should.
I am puzzled. Could it be down to lack of proper training and testing? Your correct and I’m guilty myself of driving like a maniac it’s all down to being p****d off in your job and wanting to get off bus on time or finish on time so foot to the floor it’s not a excuse just the way job is. Company can’t hold onto drivers so pretty much taking new drivers and giving them a job if they pass pcv exam.
It’s not the brakes, its the bloody gearboxes, they crash down through the gears making the driver look bad.
The public are a nightmare especially the one stop shoppers does my box in. And yes I work 12 hour days and get paid for 10. As for the £1000 sign on that’s for drivers with a pcv license though you have to work a year before receiving it. Company can’t retain staff were treated like cattle truly hate the job. Class 2 February and hopefully class 1 March.
Dingy:
First are always advertising because the shifts are crap,the buses are crap and the drivers are treated like crap by the incompetent management.
Seems like its pretty crap all round then by the sound of it…
My lad recently scored a job at Worst working in the garage.
Earlies / lates weeks about, easiest job he’s ever had apparently.
They put him through the PSV so he can road test buses and he’s been instructed
not to get in the way of any buses in service 
AndrewG:
Dingy:
First are always advertising because the shifts are crap,the buses are crap and the drivers are treated like crap by the incompetent management.Seems like its pretty crap all round then by the sound of it…
Actually I’m probably making it sound better than it is 
When I was ‘on the buses’ we had some MAN’s with Voith 4 speed auto’s… what a bloody disaster. They had retarders that must have been set up to the max. No way could you drive the buggers smoothly. Taking off, the up shifts were neck snapping and slowing down was even worse. To make things worse, we had some where the retarder would let go before you were expecting it when slowing down, then you had to hit the friction brakes a bit sharpish. Bloody menace.
I made the move the other way, trucks to coaches… 
Yes service work is crap, First is crap but Slavecoach is crapper…
At Slavecoach in the month I was there before being sacked I only had 4 days off and never saw the other half because of the permanent lates and nights (Slavecoach claim to be “family friendly” - not fun in Oxford on a Friday and Saturday night…