Dublin Bus looking for Drivers

mondeoman2

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

Best of luck. Don't believe a word hr and the training school tell you

Thank You,Will keep that in mind:D

burgermasters

Just rang the garda vetting office this morning and they said the turn around for garda vetting forms coming in for dublin bus is two weeks max provided there aren't any problems???

burgermasters

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

Best of luck. Don't believe a word hr and the training school tell you

Why shouldn't you believe what the training school or hr tell ye??? Honest question!

dashcamdanny

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

I'll be handing in my own letter as soon as i get something else

Thanks for your honesty . Is there any prospect of the job becoming better with time?

I would be leaving a driving job to apply for this.

The prospect of making 40K a year after you serve your time looks appealing to me. At the minute I clear 26k with no prospect of a rise.

Big Nasty

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

You get no thanks for it

People don't say 'thanks' when they get off the bus anymore? :eek:

AlekSmart

Just An Opinion wrote: »

Not long, I got a call the following week with a start date. Best of luck it's a great job I love it!

Bearing in mind the repeated contrary opinions of the poster below yours,could you perhaps expand a little on Why you like the Job ?

Just An Opinion

AlekSmart wrote: »

Bearing in mind the repeated contrary opinions of the poster below yours,could you perhaps expand a little on Why you like the Job ?

I can and it's quite simple really, I spent the past 8 years suffering the fallout of the brutal recession we endured here and me being in the construction industry spent quite a lot of those 8 years unemployed, working temporary **** condition jobs, working abroad in Europe away from the family and 3 of those years I was self employed which was the biggest pain in the hole I've ever experienced in the work force. Chasing f***kers for money they owe you, not getting paid for jobs, and trying to cover your overheads regardless and worry constantly weather you'd have enough for yourself and your domestic bills after all that nonsense.

Now since I got this job with DB I find myself with a job where I'm paid exactly what I'm owed 'EVERY WEEK' without fail and no questions asked, anything extra I'm asked to do I'm compensated for, I'm in a warm dry cab genuinely enjoying what I do each day on the road, and when my duty is over I park up the bus in the garage and go home knowing I have my home time 100% as home time. All this of course is my own opinion based on my own experience, I know it's different situations for different people and that's just life but I quite honestly couldn't be happier in this job. That's basically where I'm at with it!

burgermasters

Just An Opinion wrote: »

I can and it's quite simple really, I spent the past 8 years suffering the fallout of the brutal recession we endured here and me being in the construction industry spent quite a lot of those 8 years unemployed, working temporary **** condition jobs, working abroad in Europe away from the family and 3 of those years I was self employed which was the biggest pain in the hole I've ever experienced in the work force. Chasing f***kers for money they owe you, not getting paid for jobs, and trying to cover your overheads regardless and worry constantly weather you'd have enough for yourself and your domestic bills after all that nonsense.

Now since I got this job with DB I find myself with a job where I'm paid exactly what I'm owed 'EVERY WEEK' without fail and no questions asked, anything extra I'm asked to do I'm compensated for, I'm in a warm dry cab genuinely enjoying what I do each day on the road, and when my duty is over I park up the bus in the garage and go home knowing I have my home time 100% as home time. All this of course is my own opinion based on my own experience, I know it's different situations for different people and that's just life but I quite honestly couldn't be happier in this job. That's basically where I'm at with it!

That there is exactly what I want, fair play buddy.

AlekSmart

Just An Opinion wrote: »

I can and it's quite simple really, I spent the past 8 years suffering the fallout of the brutal recession we endured here and me being in the construction industry spent quite a lot of those 8 years unemployed, working temporary **** condition jobs, working abroad in Europe away from the family and 3 of those years I was self employed which was the biggest pain in the hole I've ever experienced in the work force. Chasing f***kers for money they owe you, not getting paid for jobs, and trying to cover your overheads regardless and worry constantly weather you'd have enough for yourself and your domestic bills after all that nonsense.

Now since I got this job with DB I find myself with a job where I'm paid exactly what I'm owed 'EVERY WEEK' without fail and no questions asked, anything extra I'm asked to do I'm compensated for, I'm in a warm dry cab genuinely enjoying what I do each day on the road, and when my duty is over I park up the bus in the garage and go home knowing I have my home time 100% as home time. All this of course is my own opinion based on my own experience, I know it's different situations for different people and that's just life but I quite honestly couldn't be happier in this job. That's basically where I'm at with it!

Thanks for that response.

It does raise some interesting,"perspective " issues when placed alongside KS&L's obviously different opinion...

We are the lowest paid in CIE to put up with the most amount of crap.

I mean it's not driving at all. It's shoveling people 50 meters down the road and that's it. You get no thanks for it but you do get abuse when something goes wrong which isn't you're fault

Id much rather be with a private company doing the private hires etc which i have done before


But don't get me wrong. Someone might like it !

dashcamdanny

Quick question. Im about to set a date for my D theory test.

Is the CPC case study done on the same day?

I seen the case study stories in the back of the RSA book. What is the CPC case study exam?

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

AlekSmart wrote: »

Thanks for that response.

It does raise some interesting,"perspective " issues when placed alongside KS&L's obviously different opinion...

I could say the same as the other poster. Yes the money is there every week but that's really the only point he made.

Warm cab ? Most of the time yes but you will get a day where even a brand new bus will only throw cold air at you when it's freezing out.

The other posters main issue is being self employed in a trade and trying to get paid which i wouldn't know anything about but it sounds like hard grafting.

And unfortunately for the newer people joining it's not a job for life anymore thanks to orivitisation threats

AlekSmart

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

I could say the same as the other poster. Yes the money is there every week but that's really the only point he made.

Warm cab ? Most of the time yes but you will get a day where even a brand new bus will only throw cold air at you when it's freezing out.

The other posters main issue is being self employed in a trade and trying to get paid which I wouldn't know anything about but it sounds like hard grafting.

And unfortunately for the newer people joining it's not a job for life anymore thanks to privatisation threats

I believe you have perhaps overlooked the most pertinent point of Just An Opinion's post....

I know it's different situations for different people and that's just life but I quite honestly couldn't be happier in this job. That's basically where I'm at with it!

I appreciate and understand that,for you, "this job" has not met your expectations,and as I posted earlier,your decision to bale out,should be seen as sensible and totally justifiable FOR YOU.

That really,should be the end of it.

There is absolutely zero benefit to any other person posting here,in being advised that it's not a "Job for Life" anymore....a concept which has not been valid for over 20 years in any Irish employment sector,and which in reality does not feature greatly in the mindset of most new entrants I have encountered.

As it currently stands,Privatization Threats remain just that...threats,often far more percieved than real.

There is now a signed,sealed and registered agreement between in place between The Government,The NTA and Trade Unions.

The Minister for Transport has committed,in writing,to resourcing the CIE companies to,in the event of them losing any of their route structure,expand existing services and introduce new routes to utilise all of their current and projected Staff levels.

To suggest that all is sweetness n'light is not accurate,but neither is a requirement to wheel a handcart about,whilst ringing a bell and shouting "Bring out yer dead".....

To anybody reading the Job Advert today,who things ..."Hmmmm I wonder if it's worth applying"...I would say Absolutely !...Fire Away,see how far you get....take it a step at a time,don't overburden yourself with trying to predict any & all eventualities and eventually you may just be able to say at some future point....

I,quite honestly,couldn't be happier in this job.

dashcamdanny

Just set the date for my D theory and cpc case study 2 weeks later. Looking forward..


Quick question.

€565.95 per week before tax. That's not great , but when does the pay go up to full time pay? Is there a time scale?

Are the rosters per driver set or is it flexi hours?

AlekSmart

dashcamdanny wrote: »

Just set the date for my D theory and cpc case study 2 weeks later. Looking forward..

Quick question.

€565.95 per week before tax. That's not great ,but when does the pay go up to full time pay? Is there a time scale?

Are the rosters per driver set or is it flexi hours?

You may be confused regarding the Pay issue.

The Pay Scale quoted on the DB website applies to ALL BAC Drivers.

The only difference is that new entrants take 6 years to get to the top,whereas prior to 2013,this was a 4 year scale.

The Bus Driving positions are FULL-TIME jobs,a point which everybody should be clear on.

New entrants initially work a four-day shift to include Sunday,which carries a premium payment,which in practice means 5 days pay for 4 days work.

Other than having a wide range of start/finish times,there is no flexi-time aspect to the job.

punisher5112

As I have said before the job is no way easy and can be very demanding and mentally draining.

You need a thick skin and a level head but even with that there are certain situations that will test the best of anyone.

People heading to work in mornings and heading him in most cases keep to themselves and will say thanks.

A lot may completely blank you getting on and acknowledge getting off its just like that so don't try and let that get you down.

You will have the drunks, addicts and just pure scum at anytime of the day and get hurled abuse and threats maybe not every day but what can happen you could go an hour or two weeks with no problems to 10 in one day its never the same and you will come across up to hundreads of people each day.

Its not a job for all and I am been honest I loved the job when i started but so much bad things and other problems have happened that I have lost all the joy from driving.

Don't believe anyone its not a stressful job as it is extremely taxing on ones brain.

You learn to deal with things over time and I suppose over the years I have mellowed out and chilled down a lot but as others have said its not for everyone.

I find its getting to a point where everything you do is been watched including chief checkers out in their cars trying to catch people out along with plane clothes checkers.

There is no fun in the job and you are on your own and if anything bad ever happens don't expect the job to back you up as I learned on a few occasions.

AlekSmart

punisher5112 wrote: »

As I have said before the job is no way easy and can be very demanding and mentally draining.

You need a thick skin and a level head but even with that there are certain situations that will test the best of anyone.

People heading to work in mornings and heading him in most cases keep to themselves and will say thanks.

A lot may completely blank you getting on and acknowledge getting off its just like that so don't try and let that get you down.

You will have the drunks, addicts and just pure scum at anytime of the day and get hurled abuse and threats maybe not every day but what can happen you could go an hour or two weeks with no problems to 10 in one day its never the same and you will come across up to hundreads of people each day.

Its not a job for all and I am been honest I loved the job when i started but so much bad things and other problems have happened that I have lost all the joy from driving.

Don't believe anyone its not a stressful job as it is extremely taxing on ones brain.

You learn to deal with things over time and I suppose over the years I have mellowed out and chilled down a lot but as others have said its not for everyone.

I find its getting to a point where everything you do is been watched including chief checkers out in their cars trying to catch people out along with plane clothes checkers.

There is no fun in the job and you are on your own and if anything bad ever happens don't expect the job to back you up as I learned on a few occasions.

At the end of the day,it's a Job.

Nobody is being drum-rolled into it.

You read the specification,assess the benefits as you see them,apply and see where it goes.

Everybody is an individual,whether busdriver or passenger,the only difference in Busdriving is the circumstances undr which we interact with the rest of humanity.

To the curious out there...don't be too swayed by individual posters warning of imminent meltdown,or those who promise instant riches and happiness....ask yourself if such things reflect your life experience to date...then,make your own mind up.

.G.

I drove for 3 years. Liked it at first, grew to hate it, especially the shift work and the fact junior drivers get the ****ty end of the stick on most things and it takes a long time to become senior. I also didn't like that some rules applied to junior staff that didn't apply to senior staff, be it official or the "turn a blind eye" kind but it is what it is. I'm out a long time though so things may have changed. That said, some lads I joined with are still there today so clearly if you enjoy it it's a great job to have and will in all probability be a long term job. I'd say to anyone, go in with an open mind and take it as you find it. I kept myself to myself on the bus and that led to a hassle free environment on the whole.

dashcamdanny

So to become a senior driver, we are talking how long. 5 , 7, 10 years. After that, is it worth it.


I know serving my time as a tradesman, I had to put up with terrible messy horrible jobs in my first years, and then went on the make 40k a year when time served.

I expect this to be the same ,, Although, i feel I am bit long in the tooth now to put up with regular BS.


Surely your union reps will be there if one feels they are being treated unfairly?

.G.

Depends on the garage you get sent to and obviously shift patterns have changed now so I don't know the proper lay of the land but when I was there it was a 6-7 year wait to get your own route. As I say though, I'm out a long time so I can't say for sure now.

It's not being treated unfairly as such. It's just that with lads more established than you, I used to find they got preferential treatment regarding over time and holiday requests and other operational things. You just suck it up and know that when enough time passes and you are more senior than others you'll get the same benefits.

punisher5112

Marking ins are now well above 10 years.

Some are nearly 12 years as it is in donnybrook.

If you did 30 years service it would be ⅓ of time in job or more.

Duties are now longer and routes extended out by a lot also.

No toilet facilities at either end on most routes.

Waiting over 10 years to actually have a bit of routine in my eyes is a very raw deal and should not be allowed.

Sisco14

Like any job it has it's good and bad points, I would be a newish driver and I like it, sure it is a high stress job at times and it's definitely not for everybody.
I've always dealt with the public in other jobs I worked at, so that helped but dealing with other road users is a challenge (even other DB drivers), some days it's like they are all out to get you!.

As other more experienced drivers than me (punisher and careful_now) say you need a thick skin, the job is to get people from A to B, 90% of the people I deal with are polite and pay there fair without any problems, and just want to get to wherever they are going, but there is always the one or two who could ruin your day, if you let them.

At the end of the day it's a job, I'm not in it for a thanks (most people do say thanks) or a pat on the back when I do a good job, I get a wage every week and personally I get great job satisfaction in the fact I get people to and from work, home, school,etc.,safely. I would recommend working for DB but again has been stressed by other seasoned drivers (punisher, careful_now) who have a lot more experience then me, it's NOT an easy job.

.G.

punisher5112 wrote: »

Marking ins are now well above 10 years.

Some are nearly 12 years as it is in donnybrook.

If you did 30 years service it would be ⅓ of time in job or more.

Duties are now longer and routes extended out by a lot also.

No toilet facilities at either end on most routes.

Waiting over 10 years to actually have a bit of routine in my eyes is a very raw deal and should not be allowed.

Thats madness. Spending 12 years only having a days notice of what way your working is pretty poor.

macroman

Just my 2c

I was in the first batch taken on and was fortunate not to go into the job blind - I drove coaches for a few years prior and had family & friends in the job who gave me the downlow on what to expect. To be honest, had I not known what I was in for (10+ years to be "marked in" and being junior spare getting the crap duties) I don't think I would have stuck the job. I won't lie, I had considered jacking the job in on more than one occasion (every driver has had at least a half dozen times!). But once I learned to leave the job at the gate of the depot it got better.

I don't know how long I will stay at the job, I haven't considered actually leaving but I haven't considered staying until retirement either. I don't think a "job for life" exists anymore, not in todays job market.

halimc220

I have an interview next week. I never had an interview for a position like this. Just mainly retail interviews. Just wanted to know what kind of questions they might ask. So i could be slightly prepared. If you know any please let me know, Or any links to a website that may help me out, it will be greatly appreciated Thank you for your time

LastStop

halimc220 wrote: »

I have an interview next week. I never had an interview for a position like this. Just mainly retail interviews. Just wanted to know what kind of questions they might ask. So i could be slightly prepared. If you know any please let me know, Or any links to a website that may help me out, it will be greatly appreciated Thank you for your time

The main focus will probably be on safety and customer care.


The company is cracking down on mobile phone use and even having a small radio playing is an instant dismissal.

LastStop

dashcamdanny wrote: »

So to become a senior driver, we are talking how long. 5 , 7, 10 years. After that, is it worth it.


I know serving my time as a tradesman, I had to put up with terrible messy horrible jobs in my first years, and then went on the make 40k a year when time served.

I expect this to be the same ,, Although, i feel I am bit long in the tooth now to put up with regular BS.


Surely your union reps will be there if one feels they are being treated unfairly?

You mean the union reps that about 95% are marked in drivers who don't want to rock their own boat by sticking up for spare drivers.

NBRU recently had their branch elections. The voting was held on a Thursday 9am to 4pm. The majority of new drivers work Friday to Monday. When asked why not extend the voting to two days the reply given to people was, well it's always been held over 1 day. That's the way it's always been.

The union can't keep itself updated never mind push for change for its drivers. Go to your rep with an issue, it will be written on a scrap of paper and lost.

So if new drivers expect the union to represent them equally your crazy. The own thing that happens equally is that you pay the same subs.

Anybody starting in DB soon doesn't believe me? just ask the rep that will call to visit you in the training centre about the recent elections.

Ask them also what action have they taken since Stobart drivers won their case about getting less than 24 hours notice and being forced to change work practices there. Have they taken that case and used it to benefit drivers they represent? ??? No they have done nothing.

.G.

Spot on that, it's like turkeys voting for Christmas. Won't happen. 12 years is a long time to be spare, I know you'll eventually become senior spare which has its own perks but you still can't plan your life on a day to day basis with any certainty because you've no idea what your hours will be from one day to the next. It had a lot to do with me leaving back in the day.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

superg wrote: »

Spot on that, it's like turkeys voting for Christmas. Won't happen. 12 years is a long time to be spare, I know you'll eventually become senior spare which has its own perks but you still can't plan your life on a day to day basis with any certainty because you've no idea what your hours will be from one day to the next. It had a lot to do with me leaving back in the day.

It's a very big factor. It must be a rota from the 60s

But if you wanted to play soccer with your mates every Friday you can't

If you wanted to better yourself with a course every tuesday night you can't

Or a weekend off ? You'll get 2 or 3 over 10 weeks (2 and a half months)

And when i question this with the company the answer i get is "thats how its been for the last 30 years and your not gonna change it" ... might aswell just tell me to fvck off if their gonna put it like that

dashcamdanny

So it is flexi hours. I was under the impression your rota was set for over a weekend lates.

I need to plan a child minder at the start of each week .

Is this out of the question?

LastStop

dashcamdanny wrote: »

So it is flexi hours. I was under the impression your rota was set for over a weekend lates.

I need to plan a child minder at the start of each week .

Is this out of the question?

No.

New drivers are contracted to work from 3pm onwards while working the 4 day rota. When you move to junior spare rota (5 day's and early shifts) you have the problem. Some drivers are only on the 4 day week for 6 months