All Aboard

Bus Driving in Milton Keynes and other stuff

I received my Driver CPC book this week, and have been having a glance at it.

For people that don’t know, If you now want to become a Bus or Lorry Driver you now have to gain a Driver CPC as well as pass your practical Driving Test, The Theory Test and a Hazard Perception Test.

The idea is that it’s supposed to make us all safer drivers out there which is no bad thing, But having another layer of testing to get through may put people off becoming a Bus or Lorry driver, Which I don’t think it going to do either industry any good seeing as they are normally crying out for staff.

As I already have my Licence to drive a Bus and a Lorry I don’t have to “pass” this new test to carry on driving. Instead I have to work towards completing the course over the next five years. It is an ongoing thing, So you have to complete 35 hours training every five years, Which works out to roughly one day a year.

Flicking through the book it seems there is quite a bit more a person trying to get a Licence has to do compared to us people who already have them, which seems a bit unfair, But then the book says that that’s because we already have experience on the road.

Some of the things you need to know are a bit out there. At the end of the day I’m mostly interested in getting from A to B without crashing or getting any hassle, Going home roughly on time and being paid by the company. Why I would need to (or even want to) know the following things baffles me…

• “Being able to recognize and explain the nature of the Bus Company and understand different reasons why passengers travel”
• “Know who is responsible for determining bus policy and administering the system of licensing & registration”
• “Be able to understand the policy and use of concessionary fares as they apply to England – For example, That around 11 million older people in the UK are guaranteed free local bus travel”
• “Be able to understand how bus travel fits into the general travel picture and know about recent and current trends – For example, That in recent years the long-term decline in the use of local bus services in Great Britain has reversed and is now showing a steady increase, and that in 2004/2005 bus usage was 4.7% higher that 10 years earlier”

YAWN!!! Why the hell I would want to know any of that is beyond me! I’m gonna sound like a right nerd reciting that last one LOL, I’m sure all my passengers would love to hear all about what I’ve learn’t hehehe

If you want to get your own copy then you can buy one from here, and any commisson the shopping site makes goes to the Psoriasis Association