Should I do my PCV by joining a bus company or paying privately?

[Trombly]

Hi all,

Just wanted some advice on the PCV license and the best way to go. I live near Southampton so I could go and work for Bluestar but then I would be in a bond with them and have to stay for at least 18 months. Or I was thinking about paying myself to do it since then I am not bound to a company.

I am also more interested in driving coaches since I think it would be better conditions and the passengers would be more pleasant. Is it likely I would get employed by a coach operator with no previous bus experience or am I better off just putting up with bluestar for a few years to get my PCV and bond out of the way and to build experience?

 

[M803UYA]

Hi all,

Just wanted some advice on the PCV license and the best way to go. I live near Southampton so I could go and work for Bluestar but then I would be in a bond with them and have to stay for at least 18 months. Or I was thinking about paying myself to do it since then I am not bound to a company.

I am also more interested in driving coaches since I think it would be better conditions and the passengers would be more pleasant. Is it likely I would get employed by a coach operator with no previous bus experience or am I better off just putting up with bluestar for a few years to get my PCV and bond out of the way and to build experience?

If you can afford to do so, pay for it yourself. You then work where you want. There's a shortage of drivers nationally - so you're going to find work.

 

[Spsf3232]

If you can afford it always pay it yourself. The job is very love hate and at least not being tied down you can do as you please and work where you want

 

[Galaxy]

I did it myself with Peter Smythe and I’ve cherry-picked where I want to go.

Certainly a much better option if you can afford it. Cost me around £2,000.

 

[M803UYA]

I did it myself with Peter Smythe and I’ve cherry-picked where I want to go.

Certainly a much better option if you can afford it. Cost me around £2,000.

I'd recommend Peter Smythe too. That's who I passed with. You get one to one tuition and they often have pupils who've been rejected by big bus operators who then go on to pass. With a large bus operator you won't be the only person on the bus - so your 'drives' are limited to 1/2 at most in a day and it will take much longer to pass.

If you went to Peter you'd be tested on day 4... If you're a member of the trucknet forum you get a slight discount with them too - and their reputation precedes them! As you live further than 70 miles from them you'd be put up in a local hotel for the duration.

Coaching is better than buses. You do get 15+ hour days and some varied work. Expect a lot of day work and school runs if you're new as you work up to tour driving from the bottom. Most coach drivers are lovely people but you get some special types who think they're better than everyone else and that it's beneath them to speak to you. These are very easy to wind up and it's excellent fun watching them detonate.

Choose carefully who you work for, as it's not generally the passengers who are the problem - it's the useless management and owners plus your fellow silly motorists.

Finding work is very easy though as no one wants to do the job so everywhere is short - shame as it's quite fun.

 

[PG]

Quick question: Are you aged 21+ ?
IIRC under 21 you are limited to non long distance work.

 

[Statto]

If you can afford it, then pay for a PSV licence yourself.

Main cons of going through a bus company, you have a minimum term contract before you can leave, that you will work shifts at unsociable hours, such as start around 5am & finish after midnight, & weekend work, plus Bluestar have a night bus at weekends you might be rostered to drive that.

Cons of coaches, driving down dual carriageways, & motorways all the time could be quite be monotonous.

 

[greenline712]

I'll differ from the other responses, and suggest going for training with Bluestar. The training is free, and staying for 18 months (or whatever period) under a "bond" will pass quite quickly.

Coaching may well be more interesting in terms of variety of places, but (unless things have changed) you may not know your timings until two days before, sometimes even the night before. That can make a home / social life awkward to say the least.

On buses you'll know your rest days well in advance, and after a few weeks you should also get your duty times days or even weeks before. Generally, you'll work a week of earlies, then a week of lates and so on, although dead lates (after 2300) will probably be only once every 4 weeks or so. It'll depend on your schedules agreement.

I've done both buses and coaches, and TBF there are pros and cons to both . . . if your Garage has several routes allocated, then that can make for variety as well. As a single man, coaching was great; with a family I preferred the regularity of service bus work. If you stick it out, then you may get the chance of PH duties in amongst your bus work . . . the best of both worlds!!

Whatever your decision . . . it can be a great job . . . I lasted 45 years (although in management after the first 15 or so)!

 

[RJ]

I paid a school to do my PCV training back in 2011. All in all it cost me about £2000, including all driving and CPC tests and medical.

The pros were I got it all done in a couple of weeks and I was free to go and work, there’s honestly no bother finding work once qualified. The money was made back very quickly. The cons was the cost, having an inordinately painful journey getting on board with the training and an unreliable trainer who often turned up late including on the day of my test, causing me to miss it. Probably best to find a small one man band type training school, I went for a bigger school which had their advertising in check but delivered a poor service.

Some people swear by not doing this and being trained by an operator, as you will be paid whilst training. But you could be on minimum wage during this period which can last for weeks and a lot of people seem to feel less incentivised to actually pass the test first time. Then there’s all the bond business. It works for a lot of people, but not for others.

Interestingly I’ve had people approach me asking if I can do their training to get their license, something about the cost being underwritten by the government. Not something I would go for as I don’t want to take on the financial risk for someone who might not be prepared to do a few shifts to help me earn back the costs of doing the training. I would potentially do it, getting a trained instructor in to help friends however. It would be done on trust so they wouldn’t have to pay a bond or pay me anything.

 

[WibbleWobble]

plus Bluestar have a night bus at weekends you might be rostered to drive that.

Shifts like that tend to be a fixed driver, with specific drivers in reserve.

Going back to the main question, if you go through a company like Bluestar then you'll usually be slotted into a general rota where you'd work a mixture of earlies, middles and lates. However, opportunities will arise that will allow you to work on specialised rotas which may give you fixed shifts or a smaller rotation. If you preferred permanent lates, for example, then it may be worth discussing this at any interviews you have, as they will be able to explain what sort of rotas may be available.