Paula Tuttle, a bus driver for First, Eastern Counties, which has 370 buses serving all of Norfolk and Suffolk.

Bus driver

Answers supplied by Paula Tuttle, a bus driver for First, Eastern Counties. First, Eastern Counties has 370 buses serving all of Norfolk and Suffolk. Forty per cent of the operation is in Norwich, with other depots in Yarmouth, King’s Lynn, Ipswich, Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds.

What does the job entail?
Driving buses is naturally very important as this is the main function of the job. As part of that, excellent customer service skills are needed, as you will be issuing tickets, dealing with money and helping disabled passengers. Basic vehicle checks are important every time you drive.

What skills and qualifications are needed?
Full training is provided. After a medical you go to a training school to get a PCV licence — for which you need to be 21 or over to drive with First. This includes a driving and written theory test. You also learn how to use the ticket machines. First also runs an NVQ scheme.

What type of person will fit in?
Personality is crucial — if you are nice to the customers they are nice back. You cannot let the traffic get you stressed either so being calm behind the wheel is important. You have got to be reliable, polite and be prepared for some hard work.

What are the pluses and minuses of the job?
If you like driving you'll love this job. Serving people can be rewarding — remember how important each journey is to each customer. The traffic can be a pain and you can have early starts and late finishes.

What opportunities exist for career progression?
After you have been driving for a while you can become a buddy driver helping new recruits with route learning. You can also work to become a supervisor or a service delivery controller.

What can I expect to earn?
The basic starting rate is £6.05 an hour which rises according to your experience up to £7.75 per hour. You can also earn a higher rate for rest day work. Salaries depend on experience, which depot you work from and what hours you work.

Any hints on getting a job in this area?
First Eastern Counties advertises in the local press and in Job Centre Plus and provides full training to those who are selected, but you must have a car driving licence. For more details or to request an application form call 08456 020 121.