Hi guys,
I know this question had been asked many times but there’s so many different wages especially in London for bus drivers.
Basically I’m on £16 an hour for a 38 hour week so I clear £470 ish a week after tax.
Would becoming a class 2 driver be a wage increase or less?
I doubt you’ll get a higher hourly rate but you’ll likely get more hours so will probably earn more overall in that regard.
Sounds like you’re on to a good thing there to be honest and better than most truck drivers. Have you done class 2 work before or simply have the licence but haven’t used it?
DanH1190:
Hi guys,
I know this question had been asked many times but there’s so many different wages especially in London for bus drivers.Basically I’m on £16 an hour for a 38 hour week so I clear £470 ish a week after tax.
Would becoming a class 2 driver be a wage increase or less?
You would earn more by doing a hell of a lot more hours, probably about 75 quid more for 60 to 70 hours a week
Your on to a good thing 16 a hour and you would be mad to change
So your a LT bus driver, taking home £470ish a week for 37 hrs,and a pension,free travel,and what ever other perks Busdrivers get now, self load,and unload cargo. And you want to do class 2, multidrop. You’ll earn roughly the same for twice the hours, except every time you stop, you have to unload…
I’ve worked in bus garages on the spanners as a contractor - been in nearly all the London sheds…always thought how neat it was just pulling in at the end of the shift joining the back of the queue, alighting to go to the cash office and then home.
Some guy comes along takes your bus fuels it up for you and then parks it in the rack and then it’s cleaned as well.
As said self load and tip. Stay nice and dry, the load self secures too, no boots gloves PPE, no being banned from canteens and loos. Fixed shifts, no being messed about loading and unloading waiting in queues behind other guys and no being expected to cover ground at the same speed as a Chinook for some pointy shoe muppet.
Whats not to like 
DanH1190:
Hi guys,
I know this question had been asked many times but there’s so many different wages especially in London for bus drivers.Basically I’m on £16 an hour for a 38 hour week so I clear £470 ish a week after tax.
Would becoming a class 2 driver be a wage increase or less?
It’s possible to get an employed position with a good company in London. One example could be doing Class 2 work deliver bread for Hovis or Warburtons. Maybe £15/hour. Early starts and early finishes. It will keep you fit, as there is a lot of leg work involved in delivering all that bread. Not an easy job by an means, but maybe less stressful than driving a London red bus.
Socketset:
I’ve worked in bus garages on the spanners as a contractor - been in nearly all the London sheds…always thought how neat it was just pulling in at the end of the shift joining the back of the queue, alighting to go to the cash office and then home.Some guy comes along takes your bus fuels it up for you and then parks it in the rack and then it’s cleaned as well.
As said self load and tip. Stay nice and dry, the load self secures too, no boots gloves PPE, no being banned from canteens and loos. Fixed shifts, no being messed about loading and unloading waiting in queues behind other guys and no being expected to cover ground at the same speed as a Chinook for some pointy shoe muppet.
Whats not to like
The passengers? 
DanH1190:
Hi guys,
I know this question had been asked many times but there’s so many different wages especially in London for bus drivers.Basically I’m on £16 an hour for a 38 hour week so I clear £470 ish a week after tax.
Would becoming a class 2 driver be a wage increase or less?
The potential ‘quality’ of the work outweighs the potential respective wage.
London bus driver jobs are always advertised including training car drivers for a reason.
No such adverts for bus drivers for the home counties routes even at lower wage.
Driving an 8 wheeler on bulk refuse work would also be a no brainer choice possibly a better hourly rate or not.But, like out of London bus driver jobs, dead man’s shoes for that reason.
I would say, dont do it. Traffic wardens on your case when trying to unload at corner shops. “People” trying to steal goods when you are delivering. If you can stand dealing with Joe Public on the cleaned and well maintained bus I would just stay.
Harry Monk:
Socketset:
I’ve worked in bus garages on the spanners as a contractor - been in nearly all the London sheds…always thought how neat it was just pulling in at the end of the shift joining the back of the queue, alighting to go to the cash office and then home.Some guy comes along takes your bus fuels it up for you and then parks it in the rack and then it’s cleaned as well.
As said self load and tip. Stay nice and dry, the load self secures too, no boots gloves PPE, no being banned from canteens and loos. Fixed shifts, no being messed about loading and unloading waiting in queues behind other guys and no being expected to cover ground at the same speed as a Chinook for some pointy shoe muppet.
Whats not to like
The passengers?
Fair point - especially the ones that shoot up on the back seat and then bung their needles in the used tickets bin 
I did drive buses in Central London for good 10 years with Metroline. Well paid etc, but as you might realise half of commenters out here don’t realise what they talk about how cushty it is to drive clean bus, self loading passengers etc.
I agree driving class 2 overall, won’t give you a satisfaction or easier life, it will be more physical but less stressful on brains.
Class 1 however, is in different ball park.
Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk
The passengers?
[/quote]
Fair point - especially the ones that shoot up on the back seat and then bung their needles in the used tickets bin
[/quote]
And has a truck driver you can look forward to being treated like a foreigner or a second class citizen every were you go
Also put into a waiting cage while you wait to load or tip, and every car driver out to do you because your trying to do your job
What’s not to like about it doing 60 to 70 hours a week for nothing special
Harry Monk:
Socketset:
I’ve worked in bus garages on the spanners as a contractor - been in nearly all the London sheds…always thought how neat it was just pulling in at the end of the shift joining the back of the queue, alighting to go to the cash office and then home.Some guy comes along takes your bus fuels it up for you and then parks it in the rack and then it’s cleaned as well.
As said self load and tip. Stay nice and dry, the load self secures too, no boots gloves PPE, no being banned from canteens and loos. Fixed shifts, no being messed about loading and unloading waiting in queues behind other guys and no being expected to cover ground at the same speed as a Chinook for some pointy shoe muppet.
Whats not to like
The passengers?
Exactly…
All the answers here, that tell you about your "cushy job on lean buses, self loading cattle… I mean passengers " etc, have never driven a bus. I did, I lasted 18 months, and only because I was on the “good side of town”.
It’s not the driving, or having someone else fuel and clean your bus that ruins the job. It’s the fringing cattle… I mean passengers. Moaning, whinging, trying to pass you foreign chance or fakes (any shortfall comes out of your wages…), swearing, spitting, threatening to “fall over and sue”, girls walking onto the bus without paying, and telling you that they’ll complain that you tried to touch them if you dont let them ride for free. People trying to use a different person’s discount card (but I’m going shopping for my elderly mother…), then getting aggressive when you confiscate the pass. OAP’s who want a reduced ticket, but haven’t brought their discount card and get all arsy ( but the other driver never asks for my card…)
GET OFF MY FXXXXXXG BUS…
Did I mention school chucking out time?
I told First bus that I would drive a bus till retirement (I actually like driving the bus), if the would put a conductor back o , to deal with the cattle…I mean passengers…
It’s usually good on this site when you tell how they earn their money and what they have to do for it
It’s speaks volumes that they know they work for peanuts in the hours they do and how they are treated, that’s why when you see no reply it’s more than truthfully what the post says
Love it
the nodding donkey:
Exactly…All the answers here, that tell you about your "cushy job on lean buses, self loading cattle… I mean passengers " etc, have never driven a bus. I did, I lasted 18 months, and only because I was on the “good side of town”.
It’s not the driving, or having someone else fuel and clean your bus that ruins the job. It’s the fringing cattle… I mean passengers. Moaning, whinging, trying to pass you foreign chance or fakes (any shortfall comes out of your wages…), swearing, spitting, threatening to “fall over and sue”, girls walking onto the bus without paying, and telling you that they’ll complain that you tried to touch them if you dont let them ride for free. People trying to use a different person’s discount card (but I’m going shopping for my elderly mother…), then getting aggressive when you confiscate the pass. OAP’s who want a reduced ticket, but haven’t brought their discount card and get all arsy ( but the other driver never asks for my card…)GET OFF MY FXXXXXXG BUS…
Did I mention school chucking out time?
I told First bus that I would drive a bus till retirement (I actually like driving the bus), if the would put a conductor back o , to deal with the cattle…I mean passengers…
You’ve left out that you will be lucky to find a toilet you can use on your route and even if there is one, you’ll be running late so the turnaround time becomes recovery time so it’s straight out again.
I’ve been driving buses for 20 yrs, not bad wage £13.11 in north west, just passed class 2, expect it to be harder what I do but really bored driving same towns routes etc.
It’s on of them I’m in a secure(ish) job I’m 47 , had chance do it 10yrs ago but never, if I don’t do it now, never will and be stuck on buses.
switchlogic:
Sounds like you’re on to a good thing there to be honest and better than most truck drivers. Have you done class 2 work before or simply have the licence but haven’t used it?
I know you’ve done coach work, and that with your attitude and personality, you enjoy the interaction with those passengers, but have you driven line busses? You can not compare line bus driving with truck driving, or even coach driving. The day to day tedium, coupled with people who are only using the bus as a last resort, and use you as their outlet for everyday frustrations, is soul destroying.
Also look towards the railway. See if Northern trains are advertising now or in the future (post covid) for any trainee train driver positions. Or Network Rail for trainee signaller positions. Do Google research on the psychometric tests you have to do so you’re prepared in advance.
cav551:
the nodding donkey:
Exactly…All the answers here, that tell you about your "cushy job on lean buses, self loading cattle… I mean passengers " etc, have never driven a bus. I did, I lasted 18 months, and only because I was on the “good side of town”.
It’s not the driving, or having someone else fuel and clean your bus that ruins the job. It’s the fringing cattle… I mean passengers. Moaning, whinging, trying to pass you foreign chance or fakes (any shortfall comes out of your wages…), swearing, spitting, threatening to “fall over and sue”, girls walking onto the bus without paying, and telling you that they’ll complain that you tried to touch them if you dont let them ride for free. People trying to use a different person’s discount card (but I’m going shopping for my elderly mother…), then getting aggressive when you confiscate the pass. OAP’s who want a reduced ticket, but haven’t brought their discount card and get all arsy ( but the other driver never asks for my card…)GET OFF MY FXXXXXXG BUS…
Did I mention school chucking out time?
I told First bus that I would drive a bus till retirement (I actually like driving the bus), if the would put a conductor back o , to deal with the cattle…I mean passengers…
You’ve left out that you will be lucky to find a toilet you can use on your route and even if there is one, you’ll be running late so the turnaround time becomes recovery time so it’s straight out again.
Left out…? I only scratched the surface… (as you well know 
)
Another thing that really got my back up, was regular commuters, who would get on the first bus of the day, and ask for a £1.50 to town, and pay with a £10 note… 
that’s my float gone.
And then, the next gets on, and does the same…
I got really short I the end with them. “Give me your tenner, sit down, and we’ll sort the change when we get to town”. Or take the next bus…
Drunks taking the last bus home… horrible, horrible people. No, you’re not funny. Yes, I have heard that joke before. No, you cant pay the fare tomorrow. No, I dont want to see your fanny …
I loved driving past bus stops in the summer, door open, shouting “TAXI”…