Is there a standard procedure for route learning for bus drivers?

[Silenos]

The question was prompted by a journey on First’s X29 service from Norwich to Fakenham, where a driver brought the bus from the start of the route at the top of St Stephen’s Street the quarter of a mile or so down to the Castle Meadow stop, and promptly abandoned it (at the wrong stop because the right one was blocked by a broken down bus). Eventually a rather harassed looking young driver appeared, but was unable to take the bus out because he didn’t know the route, and the person supposed to train him in it couldn’t be found, resulting in a 20 minute delay.

This made me wonder if there is a standard procedure for teaching route knowledge or whether (as I suspect based on having to show a new driver in Devon the route to my mum’s village) it varies a lot between operators.

 

[GusB]

I've seen new drivers on my local buses (Stagecoach Bluebird) on a few occasions and they've always been accompanied by a more experienced driver who was there to provide guidance about the route itself, as well as assistance with the ticket machine. Obviously this is just personal observation rather than an insight into company policy, but it seems like the logical way to do it.

I guess that driver shortages in certain places are going to affect a company's ability to provide "buddy" drivers in the same way, though.

 

[Geordie driver]

How I learned and, as far as I am aware, most big companies still operate.

After you pass your test, a day or two of ticket machine training followed by a few days of route learning where you just ride around on services buses, we got a week when I started.

Then you got a mentor who spent a week with you driving and the mentor keeping you right, ticket sales, balancing you cash, other smaller stuff.

Once you get used to it, it's a piece of cake, but the first few weeks it's a heck of a lot to take in at the same time.

Drivers might receive less now as part of the cut every corner ethos, hence why so many get lost, and struggle at first.

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

This made me wonder if there is a standard procedure for teaching route knowledge or whether (as I suspect based on having to show a new driver in Devon the route to my mum’s village) it varies a lot between operators.

Funny you say that, as I had a similar experience in Devon with MD Coaches' once-a-week route 671.

A lovely cheery driver, but couldn't for the life of him work out where on earth he was supposed to turn.

We missed a handful of turnings and the (what I assumed to be) regular locals had to shout out directions at him.

And then he tried to tell me the bus "doesn't go there" when I asked for a ticket to the village I was travelling to.

The second time I used this route - a year or so later - we had another driver come along and ride with us, and it turned out she was a new driver learning the route.

So I can only assume the first driver either hadn't driven the route for a while and had forgotten it, or the company's route learning standards have improved.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

I've had school bus drivers not know the route and ask me (typically one of the first to get on) if I can assist.
This happened decently often for a bit.

And I've also had less honest people navigate and send us the wrong way.

 

[SteveHFC]

I may have mentioned this before on here - but I had one occasion when the managing director of People's Provincial was driving the 660 from Paulsgrove to Portsmouth 6th Form College, and he admitted he didn't know the full details of the route (which of two options he should take in 2 or 3 places).

 

[philthetube]

I operated an unfamiliar route because of short notice sickness, the first person to board, my question to that passenger was, "do you want a free ride", good, tell me the way then.

 

[Titfield]

I may have mentioned this before on here - but I had one occasion when the managing director of People's Provincial was driving the 660 from Paulsgrove to Portsmouth 6th Form College, and he admitted he didn't know the full details of the route (which of two options he should take in 2 or 3 places).

That wouldnt be Mr Freeman by any chance would it? I once acted as a pilot to a driver from another depot doing a day tour feeder pick up which involved about 8 different pick up points.

 

[SteveHFC]

That wouldnt be Mr Freeman by any chance would it? I once acted as a pilot to a driver from another depot doing a day tour feeder pick up which involved about 8 different pick up points.

No, not Mr Freeman. It was Mr Marlow (if he wasn't MD, he was certainly in a senior role and not often seen out on the road)

 

[mb88]

My own experience has been different at every company I’ve worked for. First one you were taken out in a van with a trainer and shown all the routes in the depot. Second one you were sent out to sit as a passenger on a bus in service and given a week to learn all the routes. Third one you went out in a group on a training bus and were shown a selection of routes. The remainder you had to learn in your own time. Some companies also produce route learning videos which can be watched at your leisure.

 

[Simon75]

Apart from road restrictions eg bridges is it upto the drivers to run 'empty ' or are they trained on a a route set by the company?

 

[Geordie driver]

Apart from road restrictions eg bridges is it upto the drivers to run 'empty ' or are they trained on a a route set by the company?

We could go any way we wanted.

 

[alexf380]

The procedure at my company is all new start drivers are taken out on the training bus and shown the routes at their garage as a group as part of their training period, however if a driver transfers garage then route learning must be done in their time, and a comprehensive selection on YouTube videos are provided for this purpose.

 

[mb88]

Apart from road restrictions eg bridges is it upto the drivers to run 'empty ' or are they trained on a a route set by the company?

Again it depends on the company. Some have set dead running routes (which may or may not be listed on the running board) which you must adhere to. Others have advisory routes but aren’t too fussed as long as the bus comes back in one piece. Some leave it entirely up to the driver.

 

[ACBest]

You’ll sometimes find it depends on the staffing situation at the company, as well as whether that driver is newly qualified, or is joining from another company.

An example of one operator local to me is that if things are going well, then drivers will spend a couple of weeks or so with a mentor, covering a range of routes (exact number of routes dependent on the progress of the driver), before heading out by themselves, and continuing to learn other routes as time allows.

But if things aren’t so peachy, a couple of duties will be chosen, the driver will be trained up on the routes contained within those duties, and they’ll then live on those duties for a while, until they can begin to learn other routes as time allows.

There should never be an expectancy for anyone to head out on to a route they don’t know - it’s asking for trouble, whether that may be the driver taking a wrong turn and having to put themselves right, getting completely lost and ending up miles away from where they should be, or worse.

When I started at my current workplace, on day one, it was a bad day in the office - there were several drivers off sick. I have a good knowledge of the area, and some of the service area covered overlapped with that of my previous employer, so I offered to jump straight in on routes that I did know, and following a quick session of type training on a vehicle type I’d never driven before, I was out on the road by myself, much to the delight of the controllers who covered a shift they didn’t think they were going to be able to find anyone for - and much to the delight of me, who was just glad I could help!

In short, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ way of doing route learning - it varies from place to place, but at most medium to large size operators, proper route training will be given.

 

[Silenos]

There should never be an expectancy for anyone to head out on to a route they don’t know - it’s asking for trouble, whether that may be the driver taking a wrong turn and having to put themselves right, getting completely lost and ending up miles away from where they should be, or worse.

I imagine it would be extremely scary to have responsibility for a bus load of passengers without knowing the route properly. Interestingly, apart from one rather entitled woman who whinged she should be getting the trip for free because the delay had caused her to miss an appointment, the passengers were all extremely sympathetic and understanding of the new driver’s position.

When a mentor was found and the bus did eventually get under way, I noticed that a lot of the instruction concerned either landmarks to look out for to warn of an upcoming turn, or bus stops that were difficult to spot before you were right on them (because of vegetation or the road configuration).

In short, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ way of doing route learning - it varies from place to place, but at most medium to large size operators, proper route training will be given.

That’s pretty much what I’d guessed but it’s good to hear from those who have actual experience.

Thanks to everyone who’s replied so far, it’s been enlightening!

 

[Dai Corner]

Do drivers learning new routes find next stop announcements helpful?

 

[ACBest]

Do drivers learning new routes find next stop announcements helpful?

I have in the past - I learned a route at another depot which is limited stop, and although I was taught both the route and stops, the first time or two of driving the route, I was busy focusing on where I was going and getting that right, and whilst I was fairly certain I could remember all the stops, I found it reassuring that the next stop announcements were there to help me identify which stops were mine and which were not!

The challenge was in the evening when I was given a vehicle without announcements - I admit that I did stop out of course once!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Aug 2023 ==

I imagine it would be extremely scary to have responsibility for a bus load of passengers without knowing the route properly. Interestingly, apart from one rather entitled woman who whinged she should be getting the trip for free because the delay had caused her to miss an appointment, the passengers were all extremely sympathetic and understanding of the new driver’s position.

When a mentor was found and the bus did eventually get under way, I noticed that a lot of the instruction concerned either landmarks to look out for to warn of an upcoming turn, or bus stops that were difficult to spot before you were right on them (because of vegetation or the road configuration).

That’s pretty much what I’d guessed but it’s good to hear from those who have actual experience.

Thanks to everyone who’s replied so far, it’s been enlightening!

It’s not fun, I’ll give you that - I’ve done it a couple of times, once when I was doing a rail replacement route in a completely unfamiliar area, and was given a Sat-Nav. Never again, I can’t tell you how difficult it was to concentrate on what I was doing and try to listen to the Sat-Nav as well!

These days, when it comes to rail replacement, I go through the entire route on Google Maps a few days before, print maps, highlight ‘pointers’ to help me identify turns (phone box at that turn, pub at that turn, sign for such and such a town at that turn), and write directions down too. By the time I’ve done all that, I’m far more confident and ready to go!

 

[Mwanesh]

You’ll sometimes find it depends on the staffing situation at the company, as well as whether that driver is newly qualified, or is joining from another company.

An example of one operator local to me is that if things are going well, then drivers will spend a couple of weeks or so with a mentor, covering a range of routes (exact number of routes dependent on the progress of the driver), before heading out by themselves, and continuing to learn other routes as time allows.

But if things aren’t so peachy, a couple of duties will be chosen, the driver will be trained up on the routes contained within those duties, and they’ll then live on those duties for a while, until they can begin to learn other routes as time allows.

There should never be an expectancy for anyone to head out on to a route they don’t know - it’s asking for trouble, whether that may be the driver taking a wrong turn and having to put themselves right, getting completely lost and ending up miles away from where they should be, or worse.

When I started at my current workplace, on day one, it was a bad day in the office - there were several drivers off sick. I have a good knowledge of the area, and some of the service area covered overlapped with that of my previous employer, so I offered to jump straight in on routes that I did know, and following a quick session of type training on a vehicle type I’d never driven before, I was out on the road by myself, much to the delight of the controllers who covered a shift they didn’t think they were going to be able to find anyone for - and much to the delight of me, who was just glad I could help!

In short, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ way of doing route learning - it varies from place to place, but at most medium to large size operators, proper route training will be given.

I agree with you. I remember once when I went to work at another depot on loan. They were so short staffed that day. They gave me a route which I knew. It was just a circular. Turned off the ticket machine. It was easier that way than loose mileage. Mind that was before social media

 

[Goldfish62]

These days, when it comes to rail replacement, I go through the entire route on Google Maps a few days before, print maps, highlight ‘pointers’ to help me identify turns (phone box at that turn, pub at that turn, sign for such and such a town at that turn), and write directions down too. By the time I’ve done all that, I’m far more confident and ready to go!

I only do private hires these days, but that's exactly how I route learn. Streetview is invaluable for prompts especially where otherwise tricky to spot turns are.

I always take the map I've done with me but rarely have to refer to it because after going through things on Google it all tends to stick in my head.

To echo comments above, not knowing where you're going when driving a bus, especially one full of passengers, is horrendous.