Metrobus drivers share their experiences with new recruits ahead of recruitment drive

Recruitment and Training Co-ordinator Paul Waite encouraged people interested in becoming bus drivers to come along to the next workshop on Saturday 11 December at the bus company’s Metrobus Crawley depot.

There will be more Saturday sessions next year at Crawley and at three Brighton depots: Conway Street, Lewes Road and Whitehawk.

Paul said: “What we try to achieve at a recruitment event is to put people at ease, find out what they want to know about the job and answer any and all questions that they may have.

"My team of instructors will show them around the depot and a training bus and they can have a go at moving the bus in the yard under supervision.”

Paul said people could come by and get the full selection process done in under two hours or drop in and ask questions and complete the application form later online. The training is free – provided you stay with the company for 12 months, if you successfully complete it - and you are paid while training.

It’s a process the bus company’s newest driver, Ellis Hart, has just completed.

Ellis, 26, from Coldean passed his Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) Category D licence and his Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) last week and said he was raring to go.

He was full of praise for the 4-week training at the bus company’s Lewes Road depot.

He said: “It was great. Really good support. Not just the instructors but everyone in the Training Department. I learned something new every day. The instructors laughed because when it got to the weekend, I was gutted to go home for two days!”

Ellis said driving a bus was easier than he thought it would be.

“I wouldn’t say it was easy but I did think it was going to be a lot harder than it was. The instructors were excellent and they teach you how to do things properly. When you turn a corner, for instance, you need to get the back wheels in the right position before you turn. Once you’ve got someone with you who knows what they’re doing and shows you, it all comes together.”

He was working in the construction industry as a stonemason before training as a driver.

Would he encourage people to become bus drivers?

“One hundred per cent,” said Ellis. “I’ve had so much fun while learning. I’ve actually enjoyed coming in, unlike other jobs I’ve had.”

Ellis said he was excited to drive his first in-service bus, with a mentor by his side for the first two weeks, and advice and refresher training always on hand, if needed.

The next recruitment workshop is on Saturday 11 December 2021, 10am to 4pm at Metrobus depot, Wheatstone Close, Crawley, RH10 9UA. There will Light refreshments provided. Call 01273 886 139 for a chat with the bus company’s recruitment team.

If you would like to complete the selection process, please bring along your driving licence – you need to have at least one year’s driving experience (a car is fine), evidence of your National Insurance number and your right to work.

Drivers earn around £28k a year six months after qualifying, or they earn this straight away if they held a PCR licence prior to training.

For more information: www.metrobus.co.uk/careers or www.buses.co.uk/careers.