Miserable bus drivers and complaints.

CN04NRJ said:

I've been doing it for 10 years since I was 19 and if my place was like that I'd be long gone!!

Here as long as you don't cause the supervisors/management any issues and keep your head down they'll leave you alone to do the job. If I had to worry about mystery shoppers all the time I'd be a nervous wreck!

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This is reflective of where I am too. Management and even the MD chats to us and banter with us, makes such a relaxed Environment, and in my opinion such a environment improves staff performance.

Drivers certainly aren't all miserable. I was walking back from the post box this afternoon when one of the regular drivers on our route pulled up just to wish me (a regular passenger) a happy new year.

I have a bit of banter with my regulars on all the services I cover when I'm not back working in the depot. Nice to get out of the office and see how the drivers cope

I think there are two main factors which determine if a driver is 'miserable' or not.

Firstly is attitude to the job. There will be drivers who enjoy the job and want to be good at it and then there will be those for whom the job is 'just a way to pay the bills'. The drivers at the latter end of this spectrum tend to be the ones who are a bit grumpy, except of course in the following scenario.

The second scenario is that the driver manager is a poor team leader. I think we've all had bosses that don't care or are incompetent, happens in most industries. A manager who doesn't support his or her drivers effectively affects the morale of the front line staff who then take their frustration out on the passengers. This is not to say a manager should let their staff do whatever they want. A good manager offers support and guidance but is also firm when the situation requires clear leadership and decision making.