The first thing you think of about buses is the driver. They can make or break your journey. The difference between being a good driver and great one is the ability not only to handle a technically sophisticated vehicle (if it’s one of ours), juggle timings, be super safe on the road, but also to a brilliant First Bus ambassador for our passengers.

It’s a role that carries a lot of responsibility, but ask our drivers and they all say the same – driving is in your blood. It’s part of who our drivers are, and they bring it to First Bus from backgrounds ranging from ordinary licence holders, delivery drivers, taxi drivers, to fully qualified PCV drivers. We welcome them all.

Qualified Bus Driver (PCV licence holders) 

Your PCV licence opens up a great career and potential to move up. Our friendly and diverse teams will welcome you into our world, where taking ownership and using your initiative leads to positive customer experiences. We’re all about getting people to places, so we’ll help and support you with:

• Getting to know us – you’ll have lots of fellow drivers to talk to, and we can give you a driver buddy to help you settle in
• Understanding our buses, routes, ticketing, shifts and rotas. We know these are important to you as well as us so we’ll work with you to see that we’re all on the same page
• A full training in safety our way, so you can keep you, your passengers, and your colleagues safe
• Understanding your true potential and where you want to go. You’ll have regular check in and progress checks to help you reach your true potential

Trainee Bus Driver 

All you need to start is a full UK driving licence for at least 6 months (and a maximum of 6 penalty points) and you could find yourself in one of our training academies learning to drive a bus. And with the chance to drive our new electric buses, you’ll find our fleet easier to handle then you’d think.

We know that working to pass any test can be a challenge, so we’ll give you every opportunity to succeed to become PCV qualified.

Our training schools will help you with:

• Getting to know our business
• Full driver training with experienced and expert instructors
• Training for a PCV (Passenger Carrying Vehicle) Licence
• Getting to know our buses and the routes of our services
• Ticket systems and ticket type training
• Safety training so you can keep you, your passengers, and your colleagues safe

You’ll also have a buddy driver who’ll continue to support you and mentoring from other colleagues to make sure we’re setting you up for success.