Dublin Bus looking for Drivers

GT89 wrote: »

Is there any advantage at all of applying for the job with a d licence? I'm thinking if recruitment is taking so long of going ahead and getting the licence on my own accord.

Honestly save yourself the money, they prefer to get you before you pick up bad habits and the training is rigorous.

Not many others around the world offer the type of training you will get.

GT89 wrote: »

I'm glad the training is top notch. 3 weeks seems like a short space of time to learn to drive a bus so I'm guessing the training is very intense other countries such as Germany I believe offer bus driving as a apprenticeship and it takes upwards of one year I think some operators over there train drivers on both buses and trams.

The other thing is the driving assessment is in an automatic and I have never driven an automatic before as are all DBs fleet afaik.

First of all, an automatic bus is different to an automatic car :pac:

Second of all, over the three weeks your daily average is 3 hours of driving, so over 15 days that's 45 hours at roughly €75 an hour so you're saving the guts of 3 grand by letting DB out you through it. Most people pay €150 for a two hour slot once a week with the likes of Colliers or Airport Driving School, so you're packing much more in in a smaller time frame.

GT89 wrote: »

I know but the driving assessment is in an automatic car isn't it



I was more thinking the application process would be quicker for someone with a d licence than someone without it. If that is the case and it was quicker then you'd likely have made back the money you paid for the lessons within about the first 3-4 weeks of starting with DB.

Application time is the same unfortunately.

GT89 wrote: »

I know but the driving assessment is in an automatic car isn't it
.

They've switched to Nissan Leafs Afaik.

The 3 week training is sufficient because you already know how to drive, All they are doing is modifying your mindset to a large vehicle and beating the bad habits out of you.

GT89 wrote: »

EVs are supposed to be the same as automatic transmission.

Yes hybrid and ev are now all auto....
They usnt to be though....

The chief inspectors are going around in ev with db branding on them.

If you've never driven one all you need to know is, do not press the brake like you would in a manual.

.anon. wrote: »

As a short/medium-term option, they're not bad. Their training is very good and you can get onto a decent roster there very quickly. Also, after a year or two there, you're more or less guaranteed to be successful if you apply to Dublin Bus.

I'd be surprised if they weren't recruiting. If they aren't now, they almost certainly will be in the near future.

I predict harder times for goahead here.

Alot of drivers in GA seem to think they will win contracts based KPIs being met.

There is a new timing point system being rolled out in Dublin Bus that should see KPIs being met if not exceeded . And keeps buses ontime..

Now pay talks are giving indication of a substantial pay rise in Dublin bus (probably at the cost of T&C for drivers).

So Goahead will keep churning out driver training for CIE.

A revolving door for bus drivers is hardly sustainable for GA. Their ranks seem to be full of inexperienced drivers waiting for the first opportunity to leave right now.
Imagine what will happen when the pay gap expands even more.

Dan I hope you're right, I personally think it's the way it should be run, but having worked there myself and still talking to all the other lads, I can't see it happen.

I've seen many a new driver go into the job with the "f,uck it" attitude before they even start working there.

But like I say, other parts of the world can do it, Go-ahead ireland can do it, there shouldn't be a reason Dublin bus can't. And for the Union to look for a pay rise for the privilege of running a bus correctly is unbelievable.

Tbh I just think it is such an outdated company at this stage that the NTA really is necessary to shake them up or shake them out if they don't comply.

I hear what you say about discipline procedures but I know they aren't very strict at all.
I know of one driver that is a nutter behind the wheel and has been caught several times and on the phone several times, but he's still there, that's shocking if you ask me and that's why I can't see these drivers taking the time seriously

GT89 wrote: »

What's this fcuk it attitude your talking about? I'm not having a go btw but I would think from an outsiders pov that a driver coming to work with the attitude of I will take the bus out of the yard go about working my duty as safely as possible and do my utmost to ensure it passes off without incident is the correct attitude for a driver to take.

The aim I would think would be to get through the day without getting into accident, verbal abuse or an assault. Why would drivers keep to schedule they are not required to keep to it doesn't make sense if the company don't care why should the drivers?

Also if the NTA do shake out DB the new company or companies that win the tenders for DB routes are still going to be dealing with the same drivers and same unions. So any new company that tenders for current DB routes will have the exact same problems that DB has as TUPE will take effect either that or the drivers will be offered favourable redundancy packages. The new rules will only effect new drivers who start once the new company takes over.

You talk about a driver who's a nutjob behind the wheel fair enough I don't doubt you but surely if he's a crap driver some day he's going to be found out and get into a serious accident? Or are you saying if he does get into a serious accident he won't be sacked? I'm not getting ideas btw lol.

There was a post on here earlier on from another poster who confirmed it was happening, quoting another driver "if they want to play the game then he will too" as a result of leaving a terminus 15-20 mins late. Leaving late on purpose and taking an extra 5 mins to stretch the legs.

The attitude is there, I don't know where it spawns from but it does exist there more than people like to think.

Your wrong about the other companies taking over and dealing with same unions etc. Go-ahead ireland won't recognize the NBRU for example and although they do recognize Siptu I haven't heard of much going on with them in Go-ahead.

A union may or may not save you from being sacked but Dublin bus are too nice for their own good.

In regards to drivers I personally know, no he's not a bad driver, but he's a fecking formula 1 driver behind the wheel and has gone up in front of management without union rep and still gotten away with murder

There are other driver again I know of braking so hard ab old man went threw a window, the driver that split open a guy's head on dorset street with the mirror and another having an accident every couple of weeks. They never got sacked any of them and when you talk to these drivers about what happened they all have the "**** it" attitude and couldn't care what they did. Sure why would they care, it's not their bus.

Like I say, its a **** attitude and it is what's wrong with that company and it shouldn't be like that, like I say I'd like to see the NTA really shake up the place and come down hard on things like this if they want it to run correctly.

None of what I say is against any of the drivers here that do a good job like Midnight EG and others, I trust the likes of yourselfs to be good drivers and responsible unlike some clowns in the job

Personally I got an opinion on the job when I saw what was going on, going in as a young person myself I saw very quickly I would never be in line for promotions or the likes even if I meet the criteria because of the nepotism that goes on in there for jobs is unreal. From being the wrong gender to sleep with the right people for an office job and not going out with the HR managers daughter (or niece, can't remember) to get a promotion to the driver school and get handheld through the whole process.

For reasons like that I left, for reasons like that a good amount of people don't care about the job because they know they won't progress and they are happy with that, so they play games on the road etc. Again it's not nice but it's how it goes in there. And it's bad form when even an inspector says how it is too. But sure look......

GT89 wrote: »

Yeah but if more services were to tendered out and DB staff had to transfer over to the new companies under TUPE. The same agreements would be still in place as TUPE means the new employer will have to recognise the same contracts and same agreements that were in place with Dublin Bus.

With Go-Ahead TUPE didn't apply because Go-Ahead Ireland is a completely new company so no pre existing terms and conditions were in place.

I don't know how you came up with that but no that's not true

Yes drivers did tupe over to go ahead already, and yes they did stick with their terms and conditions regarding pay etc

But just because they accepted the drivers with their conditions doesn't mean they have to accept their crap attitudes towards the job. Go ahead can sack a driver that went over from Dublin bus no problem if they get out of line.