Dublin Bus looking for Drivers

AlekSmart wrote: »

I would stop short of calling it "pain".

Sure it can be inconvienient,disruptive and downright mind-numbing when your rostered duty conflicts with some other element of one's life,however I would suggest that the shiftwork nature of Dublin Busdriving actually allows more flexibility than other employments.

However this is all hugely personal,and largely depends upon one's view of the working/living balance.

The ONLY filter,I would suggest an individual need apply,is whether they recognize the FACT that we,as Busdrivers,commit to WORKING when EVERYBODY ELSE is OFF.

IF this causes you to go HMmmmmmm ,then this Job is NOT for you,Full Stop !

This is not Dublin Bus specific and is an intrinsic part of Mass Urban Transit operations worldwide.

Sure it is addressed in different ways by different operators,but I would challenge anybody to find a Capital City Public Transport Operation where Employees enjoy the ability to enjoy the exact same rest & recreation opportunities as their customers.

I regularly hear colleagues speaking about people they know who work for "London Transport" or whatever and who enjoy FAR better hours and conditions of work.....Usually it will be a second or third hand account and will,as a result,have benefitted from much addition and embellishment.

That fact is,that Public Transport Operations worldwide,particularly Busdriving,depends upon having large numbers of employees available at these hours of operation,and these same Operations ALL feature the same scenarios in terms of what we call "Spare" operation.

Some countries work around these requirements by employing Part-Time/Casual driving staff,which tends to be supported by State Supports paid to these individuals based upon their social welfare status.
Thankfully,although some attempts are continually made to deride it,the Dublin Bus Driver positions are FULL-TIME jobs,albeit with different core-hours of availability (IE: Late Thurs-Sun/Fri-Mon).

The numbers of current Staff who are describing these new jobs as Part-Time is,IMO,sad even worrying,as it appears to indicate these people do not know the difference between a FULL-TIME and a PART-TIME Job.

The notion that a person could enter the Job,and spend only a short period on the spare rotas,was only true during a specific period when Staff Turnover was very high.

Dublin Bus has enjoyed a very high Staff Retention ratio for many years now,something which any applicant might perhaps consider as a more accurate barometer of the Job than any amount of "Canteen Talk" or disaffected gasbagging,which tends to form an integral part of any large scale company.

Busdriving today,is a highly focused occupation which entails bringing together many disparate functions and skills.

As Humans,we cannot always manage to combine ALL of these functions effectively ALL of the Time,but the Training and Development regime should allow MOST successful applicants to achieve a high average which can then be maintained and improved upon.

BUT...If you're NOT comfortable with working regular late or week-end duties,then walk-on-by...at some speed !!!! :eek: