Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Does anyone know anything about driving a bus? I was accepted into Greyhound's Bus Operator training program. Pretty excited about it. They pay drivers $22 an hour to start. I've never driven a large vehicle. I think I will like the job. I love working with the public, and you get to travel to different cities.
I drive tractor-trailers and haul hazardous materials. Just use common sense and proper judgement. If you use those two things on a regular basis and NEVER cut any corners, you'll be a-okay.
Dealing with the public will most likely be the hardest part...realize depending on where you are driving, people will be getting on after having been drinking, couples who have been arguing will get on and continue their fight, etc, etc. You will have to have the right balance of assertiveness and diplomacy/professionalism. I take Greyhound sometimes between Atlantic City and NYC, and there are all types of characters 24/7.
I myself have very bad spatial skills and would be terrified trying to drive a bus, especially turning corners and pulling back out into traffic with very limited vision, but if I didn't and had the skills to drive a big rig, I would think it's a great opportunity. You might later be able to transition your experience into a city bus driver with great benefits and a pension.
That's great news! I agree with ocnjfirl---dealing with the public will be challenging. Bad drivers on the roadways will also be something to contend with.
I drove a bus in college. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I still have my CDL-B as a matter of fact.
Meeting new people every day will be nice if you enjoy working with the public.
Driving in densely populated areas may be a challenge. But it was actually fun for me. I enjoyed navigating the narrow streets and turning on a dime. I think it ultimately became a game to me. And as with anything, time and hands-on application will make you a better driver.
The only downside for me was working within the time constraints on a particularly bad traffic days.
Let me know if you have any additional questions, I'd be happy to answer what I can.
I only drove a metro bus. The hardest part was dealing with the public and staying on time. At least with Greyhound, you won't have to worry about making stops every few minutes. I was offered a job with a charter bus company several years ago, but decided not to take it because of the work schedule. I think the hardest thing about driving interstate is working very long hours and having an odd schedule.
Years ago, I drove a shuttle bus from Purdue University to Chicago O'Hare. Now, keep in mind, driving a shuttle is different than driving a normal bus. Basically the shuttle I drove was an extra large van and sometimes, it literally was a large van. I generally liked the people I dealt with on my routes. Every once in awhile, there would be some grumpy people on the trip from O'Hare back to Purdue because they'd have a bad flight or whatever, but nobody was ever actually rude. There would also be the occasional person that would take a shuttle that would leave Purdue 4 hours before their flight was scheduled to leave O'Hare and it would be a 2 hour and 19 minute drive plus there was an hour time difference. Those people would get angry because they were going to be late for their flight, but they couldn't come to terms with the fact that it was their own fault. By the way, these people really were to blame. They'd call the office and request a certain time, but after giving their flight details, the office would recommend an earlier shuttle and these people would refuse to listen to reason, but then blame the driver instead. Also, my license to drive a shuttle was a PPC (public passenger chauffeur) license so I could only transport 15 people at a time. As a Greyhound driver, you'll be dealing with more people than that so you have more opportunities to deal with angry/rude people.
Now, on my limited experience on Greyhound, I do know you see a variety of people. I've never had a bad experience on Greyhound, just a different experience. A lot of the drivers seem to have no people skills, but that's more on them than the company I believe.
As far as the actual driving part, just remember you're in a larger vehicle than you're used to. Don't tailgate the car in front of you, give yourself a little extra room to get back into the proper lane, and remember that it takes longer to stop and longer to get up to speed so don't be pulling out in front of vehicles if you have to gun it to avoid getting hit.
Congratulation on your offer. Pay attention during your training and you'll be fine.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
