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markymark2000
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All enhancements vary by company and in the big operators cases, vary by depot. Some Stagecoach depots the enhancements are weekends, some are just Sundays and Bank Holidays. Some areas may have night rates for past midnight. These are also applied differently as in some cases it is applied to just the hours worked in the time of the uplift (so if you worked Friday 10pm until Saturday 2am, you would only get 2 hours at the enhanced rate), sometimes it's if you work a minute over a certain time, it becomes a 'night duty' and the whole duty is then paid at a higher rate.
As for how common is it, just look at the job adverts, it's really, really common. I know some coach firms are now even paying differently depending on the type of work. You get school rate, private hire rate and rail replacement rates.
To give a some examples, I have just searched Flixbus jobs on Indeed (link below) and the results are below (Just done for an example of how enhancements are paid, not meant to start a discussion on what is a good/bad wage)
Turners £13.50 weekdays, £15 weekends
Cymru Coaches £12.50 weekdays, £20 weekends
Bouden £14 daily
Berrys £13-15 (No more details given)
Hearns £14-17.50 (no specifics but they say depends on day and time of work)
McGills £13.50 but enhanced rate on routes over to England
As for how common is it, just look at the job adverts, it's really, really common. I know some coach firms are now even paying differently depending on the type of work. You get school rate, private hire rate and rail replacement rates.
To give a some examples, I have just searched Flixbus jobs on Indeed (link below) and the results are below (Just done for an example of how enhancements are paid, not meant to start a discussion on what is a good/bad wage)
Turners £13.50 weekdays, £15 weekends
Cymru Coaches £12.50 weekdays, £20 weekends
Bouden £14 daily
Berrys £13-15 (No more details given)
Hearns £14-17.50 (no specifics but they say depends on day and time of work)
McGills £13.50 but enhanced rate on routes over to England
M803UYA
Member
Regardless of what indeed says, Berrys don't pay hourly, they pay a day rate for their driving staff. London superfast drivers are on the highest day rate. However long a job takes, you'll be paid the same amount. Company then wonders why there's a shortage of staff when their pay is little more than minimum wage for a 15 hour day. I may still have a payslip here. Irrespective of the time of day, you're paid the day rate. Very little of their work is hourly paid - and your payslip won't reflect actual hours worked.
The job reviews for them make interesting reading, all are accurate too. Owner lives well, though. Big house, nice range rover driven into work and parked for the little people to see. A company you don't stay at long - but one you move through and onto better things, like so much of the bus/coach industry!
I understand that most London operators still pay enhanced rates for night duties - either a lump sum per duty in addition to normal pay, or a higher pay rate, or 'night driver' is a different pay grade. Not sure that many London operators still pay what used to be 'unsocial hours' premiums for hours before X in the morning, after Y in the evening and / or weekends. (Times X and Y might be different at weekends, and higher rates would apply to Sunday + unsocial hours.) Historically, London Transport didn't have a separate rate / grade for night crews / duties, but most if not all the duty would get the highest rate of unsocial hours, and at most garages with night routes / duties, there tended to be a separate night rota, usually with senior crews who had opted for it.
London operators also tend to enhance pay rates every year for the first X years of service (5 is not uncommon but it varies) - some will let existing PCV holders start on something higher than the 'year one' rate, and will sometimes let new starters who come straight from another London operator count their service with previous operator. There was talk (I don't know if it happened) of formalising a system for this. (Obviously, drivers who are TUPE transferred when their route is re-tendered are broadly legally entitled to keep existing pay and conditions.) Again, historically on LT, there was a modest pay enhancement at (from memory) 6 months, 1 year and 2 years, but in general, it's now a bigger difference between the pay rates and it takes longer to get to top grade.
As an aside, it must have been quite a task to calculate the weekly wages with the complex agreements / allowances in place, and in an age before computers.
From what I'm led to understand, Reading Buses have a higher pay rate for late duties (they tend to have separate 'late' rotas) and a higher still rate for night duties (likewise.) I also understand that all grades get a further enhancement for weekends. Although this is at second hand, so not definite.
London operators also tend to enhance pay rates every year for the first X years of service (5 is not uncommon but it varies) - some will let existing PCV holders start on something higher than the 'year one' rate, and will sometimes let new starters who come straight from another London operator count their service with previous operator. There was talk (I don't know if it happened) of formalising a system for this. (Obviously, drivers who are TUPE transferred when their route is re-tendered are broadly legally entitled to keep existing pay and conditions.) Again, historically on LT, there was a modest pay enhancement at (from memory) 6 months, 1 year and 2 years, but in general, it's now a bigger difference between the pay rates and it takes longer to get to top grade.
As an aside, it must have been quite a task to calculate the weekly wages with the complex agreements / allowances in place, and in an age before computers.
From what I'm led to understand, Reading Buses have a higher pay rate for late duties (they tend to have separate 'late' rotas) and a higher still rate for night duties (likewise.) I also understand that all grades get a further enhancement for weekends. Although this is at second hand, so not definite.
RJ
Established Member
I personally believe in paying a premium rate at all times. Balancing affordability with what I think the job should pay given the skills involved.
It might mean that every penny possible doesn't end up in my own pocket, but then it doesn't need to. The idea is that having favourable pay rates and T&Cs will pay for itself by forming part of a culture that people are happy to work in (and I'm aware money isn't everything, but it's the main reason most people work). What I've done is taken my experience as a driver and stripped out everything I considered to be undesirable, then base the terms on how I'd like to be treated.
At the moment there is a flat rate which is a few pounds above the average in the area, with a 15% or so uplift on bank holidays.
It might mean that every penny possible doesn't end up in my own pocket, but then it doesn't need to. The idea is that having favourable pay rates and T&Cs will pay for itself by forming part of a culture that people are happy to work in (and I'm aware money isn't everything, but it's the main reason most people work). What I've done is taken my experience as a driver and stripped out everything I considered to be undesirable, then base the terms on how I'd like to be treated.
At the moment there is a flat rate which is a few pounds above the average in the area, with a 15% or so uplift on bank holidays.
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