sammym:
I’d fancy doing coach holiday driving. I reckon it could be a lot of fun. Even in the UK. Plus… they get free food at the services.
But I’m not going to go through another medical and drop a grand so I can potentially get into it.
I’d have thought driving a small bus on the test wasn’t much harder than driving a rigid truck (I might be totally wrong) so I’m not sure why I’d need a full course… I would do it if you could do a shorter course for more reasonable money.
How different is driving a small bus (the type they train you on) compared to a big rigid lorry?
That citycat fella on here wrote a few posts about his experiences driving young American tourists around Europe, was a good read. My uncle used to do European coach driving before switching to truck driving, met his wife on the job.
From what I have seen, you don’t do your full psv/cat d on a little bus. I know when I see them out and about they are in full sized service buses and there are a few trainers using full sized coaches. That being said if you can drive a rigid for a test you can drive a bus I would imagine.
Anyone know roughly what the take home pay is on coaches then? Like what is it for tours, what is it for smaller firm day trip kind of work, and what for national express?
I know people say it’s not as much as trucks but does that mean not as much as 4 nights out a week tramping or does that mean not as much as a day man doing 45-55 hours and hike every night?
Rowley010:
Anyone know roughly what the take home pay is on coaches then? Like what is it for tours, what is it for smaller firm day trip kind of work, and what for national express?
I know people say it’s not as much as trucks but does that mean not as much as 4 nights out a week tramping or does that mean not as much as a day man doing 45-55 hours and hike every night?
It depends on area. I was at a high paying depot due to location.
I used to to 4 on 2 off then 6/7 on then three off. This included night shifts, day shifts, inbetween shifts, weekend shifts, bank holidays including Christmas away. I grossed 39k for that including night away money but that was about four years ago now.
Now I work Monday to Friday days with nights out a few nights a week, occasional Saturday morning if I choose, same with Sunday and BH but mostly I’m off all of them and gross about 41k.
But its not just about money doing tour work. It’s a bit of a lifestyle really and has it’s perks like you’re night out isn’t in a bunk in a truckstop it’s in a hotel, with a cooked meal (usually gratis) etc etc.
Would I go back to it? Only if it was European tours.
Jimmy McNulty:
sammym:
I’d fancy doing coach holiday driving. I reckon it could be a lot of fun. Even in the UK. Plus… they get free food at the services.
But I’m not going to go through another medical and drop a grand so I can potentially get into it.
I’d have thought driving a small bus on the test wasn’t much harder than driving a rigid truck (I might be totally wrong) so I’m not sure why I’d need a full course… I would do it if you could do a shorter course for more reasonable money.
How different is driving a small bus (the type they train you on) compared to a big rigid lorry?
That citycat fella on here wrote a few posts about his experiences driving young American tourists around Europe, was a good read. My uncle used to do European coach driving before switching to truck driving, met his wife on the job.
From what I have seen, you don’t do your full psv/cat d on a little bus. I know when I see them out and about they are in full sized service buses and there are a few trainers using full sized coaches. That being said if you can drive a rigid for a test you can drive a bus I would imagine.
The main companies seem to train in full size vehicles for obvious reasons. The schools that you pay use smaller little buses. a bit like doing your class 2 on a 12ter or class 1 with a 12t rigid and a smallish trailer.
I’m wondering from blokes who have done it reckon it’s very different in terms of driving than a rigid?
Rowley010:
What about national express? There’s a company not far from me that do a national express contract, the pay they advertise is £11ph on target earnings. I was always under the impression that a salary advertised as OTE means some of that is commission based. But how can a national express driver get commission?
When I worked for First on the local buses in Swansea 20 years ago, they also had the National Express contract for the Heathrow and Gatwick shuttles. One driver driving, and a trolley dolly selling the sandwiches and tea. Because the Gatwick shuttle drivers kept running out of time (requiring a driver in a van to swap in Cardiff or Bridgend), the point shows decided that it was a good idea to put the trolley dolly through their test (inhouse, so cheap), to be able to drive the bus home if needed.
Once the pointy shoes realised that that worked, they changed the job title to driver/host, requiring the drivers to provide the catering… (you have to buy the sandwiches and tea etc yourself, and hope you flog it all, or you lose out… 
) .
What used to be a death mans shoes job, with a waiting list to transfer, turned overnight into a job they could not get drivers for love nor money (neither of which First k owns anyway…).
I do buses for a small family firm. Been there twenty years so cant be that bad. The money is not great, a truckie will earn more. I get to see around tourist attractions and often get a free meal, some people tip but not all. Have met a lot of unhappy coach drivers moaning about only being home for two nights then off for ten day tour again. Most of them are divorced by the way.
I did it for a little while years ago in a setup with a tour manager.
Pros
If you have a good week tips / on board sales/ commissions wise, you don’t need to touch your wages.
You rarely pay for meals. Certainly should be getting Breakfast and tea for free.
Hotel every night.
Clean work.
Tour managers take the heat, but also half the tips. A fair number of the female ones are quite randy and lonely.
Cons
If ANYTHING goes wrong… Mechanical fault, unruly passenger you will get next to nothing in tips.
You’re always on duty, even in the hotel bar at night supping a Pint.
A lot of sitting around waiting.
The methods of earning money and making sure you get maximum tips etc are a steep learning curve.
Low basic pay is standard. You are almost running a business.
Tips and tricks
Never, ever let anyone organise a collection. You will get jangly money rather than rustley money every single time.
Jump straight off the coach at the end of the tour. Look each departing passenger square in the eye and shake their hand. I used to have a £20 note in my hand and used to hold it up as the first one walked away loudly saying “Thank you very much”. The sheep will cotton on.
Sell drinks on board. Get bottles of water for around 15p a bottle and punt them out for a quid. Same for tea and coffee.
Get to know which shopping centres pay commission and target them.
Keep your coach spotless.
Keep yourself spotless.
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That sounds like far too much work and uncertainty compared to jumping in a truck and knowing what I’m going to get each week.
I guess some probably like that? But I think it’s a shame that an industry can’t just pay a driver a proper set wage without him/her having to go out buying there own drinks to sell and relying on tips to bump it up.
Spoken to a mate who was Nationals driver trainer manager, his words were DONT, more interested in profit than anything else, drivers are a commodity, easily replaceable.
Empyting the…
The potty after possibly 52 people have sat on it… nah…I’ll pass ta.
I know a coach driver who was employed by a firm on U.K. and European trips ,his wife was a hostess , she made profit with snacks and drinks.
They left that company to start their own business, by getting a new coach , and took their ex employers customers, it went to court and legal action but I don’t know the outcome.
To make money, they shortened the trips and employ a manager to organize everything.
The new coach broke down in the South of France, the engine computer went to limp mode for a water leak.
The driver was too overweight to get under the coach, a passing driver did a bodge job which meant stopping at houses to borrow the their hosepipe to top up the coolant ,apparently no European break down cover.
As said by a previous post, you are always on duty ,as when off duty and relaxing in the hotel bar ,you can’t ignore your customers.
Coach driving is like lorry driving. It’s what you make of it. There are good jobs and bad ones just like on lorries. Did a little bit of coach driving and enjoyed the change. Always found if you were friendly and helpful to your passengers they generally were good to you. Big tip. 
especially if they had had a few bevvies.
yourhavingalarf:
Empyting the…
The potty after possibly 52 people have sat on it… nah…I’ll pass ta.
Ah, yes the toilet discharge at the end of the day…urghh no thanks. 
I’m surprised Carryfast hasn’t been along to give us the detailed ins and outs of another job he’s never done
Socketset:
yourhavingalarf:
Empyting the…
The potty after possibly 52 people have sat on it… nah…I’ll pass ta.
Ah, yes the toilet discharge at the end of the day…urghh no thanks.
Tbf it never bothered me. Some times it was interesting watching someone else’s turds rattle down a drain
One if those where lining up correctly over the drain is absolutely vital or you get blue shoes and not of the suede variety
citycat:
One of my old threads.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=153483#p2449847
These are a really interesting read
Another old thread that some may find interesting who haven’t read it.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=113523#p1736759
, imagine trying to do that with 40 humans… no thank you… 