I've noticed many times, not just talking once or twice here, that one particular bus service locally is driven by very talented and helpful drivers.
It's a service from Glasgow city centre to the airport, it's run by Arriva but it's a dedicated livery for the airport - "Glasgow Flyer". I've used them a few times - there's a bus stop right outside our office and the drivers are really decent. Not in a trying too hard way either, just seem really genuine and happy.
It's their driving that really marks them out though. It's mostly firstbus round here, but they run a rat race. They often barrell about with too much speed in confined areas for their size and when they catch themselves out, as so often happens, all hell brakes loose as they can't stop in time.
It's not that the Glasgow Flyer drivers are curteous, although they are that too, it's that they're intelligent. They demonstrate complete awareness of goings on up and down the street, and drive to match. They don't dawdle, they don't carry excessive speed, all their maneuvers are executed with skill, they even turn corners much more cleanly than the regular types. I've never seen one get in the way, similarly, i've never seen one waiting about failing to make good progress.
How does one company get it so right with their drivers.
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Funny you should say that S, our local airport bus is also driven to a higher standard. The 199 is run by a different operator to our usual (Stagecoach), and use a better class of single decker too.
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I went on the omnibus into Manchester this afternoon and was very impressed with how friendly the driver was to everybody.
I cringed when some fat, swamp donkey woman got on and growled 'Two to Piccadilly ' at him.
It was made better by the number of people who thanked him on getting off, though.
Ted
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Skoda - Well done on giving some praise to people who deserve it.
I think that the key word in your account was "intelligent".
Ted - I always thank the driver whenever I get off a bus too, but I think that it may be a generational thing. I was taught to do so by my parents. I think that the link was broken somewhere and modern kids (who are unfairly maligned, in my view) were not taught to do it by their own parents.
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I 99% of the time always thank the driver, 50% of the time I wish I hadn't bothered. I do find that in general bus drivers are more polite than they used to be, but I used to get 6 buses a day on average, now it is 3-4 a week.
Never used the 199 as it is a bit of out of my area but I am aware of the service and they are always very new modern buses. I am assume we are talking about the same Buxton to Manchester airport service :).
I suspect a lot of it is down to pay and management styles. I've always found the drivers on the free shuttle buses to be a lot more chirpy than on the commercial routes for some reason.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Thu 17 Feb 11 at 23:05
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>> I've always
>> found the drivers on the free shuttle buses to be a lot more chirpy than
>> on the commercial routes for some reason.
>>
Don't have to battle to get the fares out of people probably... It'd make my job a lot easier if everyone had correct tickets or didn't need to pay as well!
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>> How does one company get it so right with their drivers.
>>
If it's anything like haulage, probably by paying them a decent wage.
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>> How does one company get it so right with their drivers.
Most likely good training and follow up on that training.
Many, many people are terrible at customer service without some kind of training. The worst are usually when they can't separate their work persona from themselves (which is why they take exception to things like thanking you for paying your bill, or calling you sir/madam).
Of course, some people are just naturally cut out for those kind of roles too.
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I think there is a clue in the route mentioned by the OP - Glasgow airport.
Most people going to an airport, and even from it, are in happy holiday travel excitement mode.
Or business people in grey suits, who are outwardly pleasant, even if it's insincere.
Even the normally scummy types can be polite and friendly when they are in a good mood.
The driver has very little aggro from the punters, they may even cheer him up if he's down.
A happy driver is a good driver.
Last edited by: Iffy on Fri 18 Feb 11 at 10:45
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Might be something in that iffy. Besides the unmarked leather seats, the lack of this mornings methadone spewed on the back seats marks these buses out from the local type.
Thinking about it that way, the first bus guys have the harder job for sure.
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>> Of course, some people are just naturally cut out for those kind of roles too.
Some folk just seem naturally really good at this type of thing. My mum's one. Theres a guy George who runs the parts desk for Douglas Park BMW at the Glasgow Kyle St. Branch, he's got to be the best example I can think of for just getting it 110% right all the time.
Shame he can't train his boss :-)
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>> ....he's got to be the best example I can think of
>> for just getting it 110% right all the time.
Careful Skoda! "110%" - That sounds like management speak to me!
(Said with a guilty "I fall into that trap sometimes, as well" smile)
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Where I live, Arriva has a number of women bus drivers. All are top notch drivers, drive the vehicle smoothly yet able to press on when required and have an outstanding level of awareness of what is going on around them.
One in particular displayed remarkably quick reactions driving my late night bus a while back, saving herself from serious potential injury by hitting the brakes when a white van driver failed to give way, only just missing the driver's cabin section.
She apologised to the passengers, but we all complimented her on her skills and that we were glad she was so alert.
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years ago in leicester i was a passenger o a bus and the driver took the wrong turn and tried to go under a low bridge.
he realised his mistake but didnt brake in time and the front 6ft of the upper deck was crushed.
luckily the passenger at the front noticed in time and hit the deck.
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They never seem so great when one is driving a car. They expect to push out into traffic, but hardly ever give way themselves. Let a bus go first and the driver rarely waves thankyou, and you will be rewarded by him stopping again a few hundred yards later and blocking the road again.
Lorry drivers by contrast are in the main sensible and courteous, and recognise the necessary give and take.
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>> They never seem so great when one is driving a car. They expect to push
>> out into traffic, but hardly ever give way themselves. Let a bus go first and
>> the driver rarely waves thankyou, and you will be rewarded by him stopping again a
>> few hundred yards later and blocking the road again.
>> Lorry drivers by contrast are in the main sensible and courteous, and recognise the necessary
>> give and take.
>>
The Highway Code (Paragraph 223) encourages drivers to "give way to buses..... especially when they pull away from stops".....
....and unfortunately, stopping every few hundred yards is what buses do. Most of the ones down our way acknowledge such courtesy.
Thanks for the kind words about lorry drivers though, it makes a pleasant change. ;-)
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I love my local bus drivers. Vary a little in their smoothnesss but all polite and get the job done. Some while ago, on the way home, the bus came to a ditch being dug right across the housing estate road. He was told that it would be a 20 minute wait, and complained somewhat that the bus company had not been told. Very impressed with the way he managed to turn the bus around and re-find his route - I did tell him and he seemed suitably pleased.
Last edited by: Aretas on Fri 18 Feb 11 at 17:56
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Great Bus Drivers - Alastairw
