The large issue which is affecting a lot of operators is down to split shifts, being stuck off the road for hours before resuming driving, and not getting paid for that.
This has been a common complaint for years and hasn't got any better, only worse!
Give the Observer a medal!!
I guess I should be qualified to answer this; having been a PSV licence holder for the past 21 years and one of the many to leave the industry in the last few years (although I was a leaver considerably before Covid).
There are many reasons but I suppose I simply became fed up of several things:
The shear monocity of thoughtless computer generated schedules and rosters
Unpaid breaks, sometimes totalling hours.
A lack of backing from faceless managers.
Add to it, poor pay, a high amount of weekend working and a culture of face-fitting with regard to promotions and that was that.
The final step for me was being told I didn't have relevant experience for a commercial post, despite being both trained in manual scheduling, huge experience in Naptan data and in computer scheduling systems used by two major bus groups. It was purely an appointment based on jobs for a friend and I'm pleased to say it unravelled fairly quickly for the lucky candidate. By then I'd left the industry and very little would tempt me back now - even if it was £20 an hour.
Oh and the culture of most bus large operators is a world away from what some of these appalling narcissists promote over their various ego fuelled social media feeds.
Yes, Yes and Yes
do you know what drivers need now?
Let me tell you!
Pay: someone on another topic had placed this considering wages, so I’ll copy and paste it.
Guaranteed Minimum Annual Salary £30k* Equivalency - £470pw basic take-home.
Based on a 5 over 7 roster, 45hr maximum working week*.
Shift Length limited to 10hrs.
*A “Working Week” is defined as the hours from start to finish of any shift, not the individual driving time excluding breaks.
**For Permanent Backshift or Nightshift Rosters an increased Guaranteed Salary of £30,450k applies, based on a 43hr working week.
If a 5 day week exceeds 45hrs by “option” the prevailing rate is £13.54 per each additional hour.
If working less than a 45hr working week, the Guaranteed Minimum Salary applies.
Overtime Rates(Optional 6th & 7th day working)
Day Shift(Before 12pm), Monday to Saturday - £14.10ph.
Backshift & Nightshift(After 12pm) - £18.10ph.
Sunday(Any Shift) - £18.10ph.
Note - OT shifts are paid from Start to Finish, including breaks.
Flexible Part-Time available based on a maximum 3 Days/24hrs per week
Working a variety of shifts, 8-10hrs per day, over 7 days.
Paid at £13ph, weekly pay.
1 day = 12hrs per week = Guaranteed £154.80(£154.80 - July 2022)
2 days = 17hrs per week = Guaranteed £215.42(£219.30 - July 2022)
3 days = 24hrs per week = Guaranteed £280.60(£287.46 - July 2022)…
Guaranteeing a basic yet “good” income is a start, as does banning 12-13hr spread over with 2-3hour breaks in the middle.
Drivers most of the time aren’t payed for breaks but get paid 9hrs when potentially your in attendance at work for 12hrs on a spread over, further draining time from your private life.
The above approach means pay is kept up whilst keeping hours reasonable.
Buses: modern buses such as the 400 MMC are diabolically more frustrating to drive than say a Gemini B9TL, everything down to the lethargic acceleration to stop-start option to the interlocks on the front doors, remove these and youll change the “narrative” that bus operators(directors and managers) know best or that bus builders think these things are great, there not and simply cause frustration from behind the wheel, it’s funny how no one has mention the small but certainly relevant issues.
TICKETER!: The worlds slowest ticket machine, it litterally feels like using a computer the dinosaurs would have used, in an industry that has continually spoke of boarding and dwell times at stops has had a particular funny approach, actually slowing this process down by have a useless slow ticket machine, there are much better options out there, I’d bet my bottom dollar that Ticketer sell them cheap.
TRAFFIC: what we are asking of PCV, HGV or even taxi drivers to do now is drive on roads that have had increased congestion or in other words private car use “exploding” over the last 30 years alone, piling on pressure to those who don’t just spend a few hours driving there private car but actually drive upto 10 hrs per day, you can’t tell me this won’t have a knock on effect on the livelihoods of those driving on the roads for there job.
PASSENGER!: it’s always “Me, Myself & I”, if the bus is late it’s the drivers fault, if another bus doesn’t show then the driver behind it’s there fault, if the bus breaks down likely due to lacklustre maintenance regimes, it’s almost always the driver of that broken down bus that gets the brunt of the frustration thrown in there face, you are no longer respected in society for being a bus drivers, it’s not a great career prospect job nor a tremendously good paying one any longer.
I honestly feel that we bus drivers are expendable nowadays, eventually becoming something of the past.
Simply because what society, Councillors & governments do is indirectly offer everything of road space to motorists, they never question the long term impact in town centre on the streets caused by online shopping nor the consistent argument that each individual motorist “needs” there car, not just for commuting where a potential bus service exists for then to commute or even for them to drive to a retail park where there is an exceptional amount of free car parking.
We disguise these shortcomings as modernation, If it was good enough for our grandparents and there parent before them to make do without much of the modern world then why can’t we gently readjust how we go about our daily life’s, our shopping being done on the high streets and in all stores, using public transport FAR more often thus assisting the sustainability of said service, asking more kids to walk to school where possible.
Funnily enough despite the cost of living increases we still see cars being financed continuallly to the sum of £200-300pm but apparently buses are to expensive to use(forgetting about there reliable issues), subscriptions to Spotify, Sky, MOT, car insurance, road tax and generally other extra curricular costs we choose to pay for.
Change the above narrative of how we live and buses would naturally become far more important once again.
