fitter

engineering team leader

bus driver

engineer

mechanic

Arriva

1) Buses - maintained to the bare minimum, easily 95% of the fleet ALWAYS have a warning light on, mainly the emissions light. You may aswell not have a defect card because the same faults will get signed off day after day. 
Broken buttons have been replaced with other buttons, so they don’t actually do what they say they do!  Most of the buses are extremely down on power, it makes situations such as pulling onto a roundabout or slip road stressful as they take an age to pull off (downright dangerous), on routes with hills some of the buses can barely crack 5mph. Breakdowns are also a regular occurence. Upper management are deluded, thinking a ‘software upgrade’ was the reason they were so slow, guess what, the ‘upgrade’ did nothing!! 
The buses are not cleaned, they are simply swept to remove rubbish. You leave the cab feeling very grimey, it’s regularly making me ill.  

2) Routes - Near impossible to stay on time, if you are serving more than 25% of your stops on route, then you will end up late, pretty obvious the times were not calculated on real time service, but probably using google maps!! Traffic or volume of passengers/consideration for slower passengers is not taken into account - this in turn means when you’re inevitably late it’s YOU getting it in the neck from disgruntled customers. 

Management - Your duty managers/leading drivers are generally quite helpful and will help you out with whatever issues you may have, upper management is extremely beaurocratic, it’s all about rules and policies etc, to them you are merely a number, and certain managers will not acknowledge your existence, or will be quick to stab you in the back.

Salary) Just had a pay rise after months and months of negotiations with the union (of which I highly recommend joining as you will definitely need them at one point or another) 
Originally when starting last year (north east) new drivers were on 10.70 an hour which is an absolute joke of a wage considering the job, now on 11.55 an hour which is still poor when compared with other heavy vehicle driving jobs, or even van jobs for that matter. Overtime is no extra pay. 

Other) - Don’t expect holidays when you want, they are assigned to you in a 3 week block and you have no choice but to take it. You cannot take a week here or a week there. 

If you cannot handle abuse then this isn’t the job for you, buses attract all types of pondlife and you need to be able to handle yourself (although make sure you don’t step outside your cabin otherwise you will get suspended!!) 

Generally speaking from what I’ve seen, If you’ve been with the company less than two years then you are not on a permanent rota, so basicly you will NOT know when your days off are, and you will only find out what days you are working/not working up to 3-4 days in advance AT BEST.  So forgetting about booking a day out or a weekend away! Because you will probably be working!

The interview process wasn’t really an interview at all, it was more a case of if you show up then you’ve got the job, they take all your details such as driving licence ect straight away, they are literally taking on anyone they can get, as they have an extremely high turnover of staff, says it all really! 

Hope this helps anyone who is interested in a career! If you are literally desperate for a job then come here, otherwise you’re probably better off stacking shelves at aldi!! 


Got a phone call from Arriva asking me to attend an interview the following week, which I did. The overall interview was very basic to say the least & only lasted 15/20 minutes. Once it was done I was taken downstairs & put through a medical with a doctor, filled in some DVLA forms & had to drive a large van with a driver assessor. I was basically told I had the job there & then & just had to wait for my PCV provisional to come back & would then be given a start date.
Attended the Driver Training at Speke depot, Liverpool & was out driving a bus within an hour. Personally I found it easy but I know others didn't. I was far more worried about passing the theory & hazard perception tests than anything else but Arriva give you an app that massively helps with this. Within 3 weeks I'd passed everything & was sent to my chosen depot. I've been a driver now for roughly 16 months & so far I've really enjoyed it.
You'll find there's a lot of older drivers who've been in the job a long time that'll say it's s**t. But I've had some BAD jobs & this is the easiest & best paying job I've ever had! The shifts will take some getting used to because you'll do a week of early's (start times between 0400 & 0700), a week of middles (start times between 0700 & 1300), a week of late's (start times between 1600 & 1800) & then a week of mixed which can include 1 or 2 split shifts followed by a long weekend which is 4 days off.
There's usually plenty of overtime, you get paid every week on a Friday, there's a staff bus to pick you up if your on an early or to drop you off home if your on a late which saves me a fortune on transport. There's a gym on site complete with shower facilities, a social club that organises events for staff, the union also offer strike pay so if we do take industrial action we still get paid each week by the union.
For the 1st 12 months your on a starter rate & then after that period your pay jumps up. I've been averaging about £650.00 a week after tax but I've also blitzed the OT & picked up a lot more. Word of warning for this though, it's all good doing OT & getting paid extra but this is a driving job. The hours will absolutely catch up with you & you'll be surprised how tired you'll actually be.
Holidays are pre allocated, you can put a request in but don't be surprised if the answer is no. It's the same for lieu days as well, they're happy for you to work the bank holidays but don't want to give you the days back. I think between the shifts & the holidays is the reason why so many people leave this job. It is an unsociable career that impacts on family life. It's caused a few arguments with me & my Mrs to say the least.
All in all I'm liking it, I don't think I'll be leaving any time soon but ask me again in 20 years how I feel lol.

I'm a staff nurse in a hospital that uses Arriva to transport non ermergency patients to and from hospital. We book transport to take most of our patients home once they are ready to be discharged, as they have numerous complex medical problems which often lead to poor or no mobility. It is the norm for the transport service provided by Arriva to let us down. By that, I mean this happens every week, without fail, and often more than once a week. The problems we have are transport arriving so late that patients cannot go home, as they are dependent on care staff, who are unable to provide a service late at night. Sometimes transport doesn't turn up at all. For example, yesterday I booked transport to take a patient home. There is a 6 hour response time in the contract, which meant he should have gone home in the early evening, however the transport did not turn up, and no one from Arriva phoned to let us know. I phoned again for the same patient today, they told me the crew cancelled with no explanation given. I rebooked, and the 6 hour time was due by 3 pm. No one turned up, so I phoned Arriva again, and was told they would come at 8.37pm. No one showed up by the time I left the ward at 10 past ten at night. Again, no phone call or explanation. So now we will have to try again tomorrow. I have spent about an hour altogether today trying to sort this out, and that is time I should have spent looking after my patients, not chasing Arriva to do what they are contracted to do. The problem, they told me, is that they only have 1 vehicle with 1 crew member available for the entire hospital for both days. So this isn't an unfortunate incident, it's a deliberate choice made by Arriva managers to keep their costs down. In other words, they are perfectly happy to take our money, but have no intention of providing the service we are paying them for, which I think is truly despicable. 

Overall? I'd say the crews who are doing the work are good, caring people who want to do a great job. The management, however, are out and out crooks, looking to rip off vulnerable patients just to make even more profits for overpaid executives and wealthy shareholders. Dante's inferno is too good for them!

as a click driver top rate of pay is £9.80.  So on average 350 a week for driveing a psv vehicle 
You don't get paid extra for overtime. You work longer hours then the bus drivers and work more days but get paid less. 

Normal bus drivers hours are Monday to Friday and get 10.70 and get a £11.00 an hour on Saturday. Early start 9am late finish 8pm. 

But as a arriva click driver you can stat at 5.30 or finish as late as midnight on busy days. They can and will make you work 10 days straight. 
Again no over time or late night pay. 
When u finish you have to lock up the yard. Its unsafe as there have been a number of  Robberies at this depo at night and its you by your self at night.

A lot of arriva click Drivers are thinking on going on strike soon.

Talking to management is like when a pröstitutě says she loves you its all lies to make you feel happy and not so sad about the situation you're in. same can be said about arriva management.

They have been a number of anti social behaviour issues on the arriva click.  complaints have been submitted  but its fallen on deaf ears. At this point u might as well hire out of work nightclub bouncers cuz its all ways arguments and fights with customers. 

The shifts are beyond normal 9pm finish 5.40am start. Just within the legal amount of rest time. Forget going home just bring a sleeping bag and sleep on the bus(arriva thinking probably). 

They have showers at the depo .Count yourself lucky if you drop the soap. Because this time it isn't arriva fùćķing you from behind.

The Samsung tablets they give you for work are out dated and don't work most of the time offended loses signal or so much lag you need to restart it 5 times just so you can log in. Did arriva buy these from a cash converters or off some dodgy guy on gumtree.

If u wanna be come a arriva click driver you must on Suicide watch and had a mental health assessment needed.

Early starts. Late finishes. Long driving hrs. Up to five and a half hrs driving without a break. You need a strong bladder. Not enough hrs sometimes between shifts. You can finish at midnight and be back in again at 8.30am Travelling time home and unwinding are not considered. Accidents are common due to tiredness. Sickness is rife due to stress. You are just a number and nothing more. If you want a social life, forget it. If you can get away with it. Don't give them your mobile because they will ring you at stupid o clock on your days off to see if you will work. They will even try and get you to give up some of your holidays. Arriva are behind the times. Their buses don't have radios so if you break down in the middle of nowhere and don't have your phone with you then basically your buggered. And Arriva has a lot of older buses and they are for ever breaking down.
In the winter you will drive buses that have no working heaters so your expected to sit there freezing your nuts off for up to five and a half hours. You can run the bus off after 2 hrs if the heater doesn't warm up. But chances are they will give you another bus with heaters that don't work. So make sure you wrap up.
Supervisors are all different. Some canny some over zelous. The same applies to leading drivers. A bit of power goes to their heads.
Break times are short. You get the bare half hr but no time to get from your bus to the canteen or back to your bus. So you've lost 5 mins of your break already. The canteen for jesmond drivers is upstairs so make sure your legs work. Oh and hope there isn't a fire because the only other way out is through a window that is 8 ft from the floor and onto the bus station roof.
If your thinking of becoming a bus driver. take my advice. Work for a company that has a modern fleet. And a company that has two way radios incase of emergencies etc.

I work 5 days on 9 days off, whilst on duty Iam based in North Wales in Rhyl. I work from 06:00 am to 21:00, cooking and providing breakfast on the south bound express service to first class and standard passengers. I go shopping in and around Cardiff then I take shopping back to Canton depot and the train where I prepare any food from our welsh menus that I will need for the evening north bound dinner service. Also Managing and directing 2 stewards and making sure the restaurant layout is also ready for dinner service.
 * I have learned quite a lot during my 5 years working on the railway from very close working relations with staff, to helping in other areas not specifically in my job description  : helping customers on and off the train giving directions and any useful information has given me a greater different knowledge of the public outside the confines of the  kitchen workplace,its also great to interact with the passengers and not just cook for them.
*I see a lot of the Arriva management team and its great to interact with them to get there views and good advice, this has helped me a great deal over the years especially my early working years.
*Team work is a big aspect of this job as we work long hours so we,ve got to bring out the best in each other when the need arises  and weve got a fantastic bonding not just in the work practise but in some cases for life.
*The hardest part of my job at the moment is working long shifts 16/18hours a day over 5 days takes it toll, also the train/buffet car breaking down can be soul destroying its bad for us staff but I feel more sorry for the passengers that can be frustrating.
* I enjoy my job giving the public a great food and travel experience on Gerald its very satisfying when they return time and time again.

Avoid if you value your mental health you will be stripped of every last single feeling you have apart from working. They go on like it's the best paid job ever it's not. No amount of money is worth missing out on family time as your bullied into work 13 out if 14 days and even then they will do everything they can to cut down the time your at home and get you back into work. Union is a joke and only helps out the employer hold grudges of previous employees and take it out on other family members. Can only accommodate to a select few drivers who's faces fit when it comes to child care. However couldn't help me out when it came to my disabled son they couldn't even help me with two days to pick him up from nursery and happily had me working when he had important hospital appointments. If your face fits you are laughing aslong as you dont ever say boo to a goose and keep your head buried in the sand
 Buses constantly breaking down which isnt down to the mechanical side of things because the engineers hands are tied due to the company "saving money" so they can't even fix buses without cost coming into it. Company full of snakes and grasses that will even stalk your facebook to find somthing to get you into the office with. Your made to feel like one tiny incident will cost you your job accidents are bound to happen in this industry.  Go through managers like the place has a revolving door. You wont actually get paid what you work and loose around 2500 a month on travelling time and time spent on the road as if you do a 15 hour day you will get paid 9 they don't explain how all this works. Passengers can assault you and nothing is ever done aslong as the wheels are turning they are not interested in drivers health and well being.

Been a driver for 'Arriva the Shires' for over a year. Initially on a 3-month contract through an agency (after lengthy online assessments) with a verbal promise from management of a permanent job with the company after the initial period, on satisfactory performance. However, it took them 6 months to sort out the 'administration' necessary to employ me, despite an excellent driving record.

Ageing fleet, constant maintenance backlogs causing daily service disruptions, some routes suffering disproportionately resulting in very disgruntled passengers, not helping with driver's morale. No information relayed to drivers (Controllers are not bothered), no route supervisors advising passengers of delays etc. No real-time information systems at bus-stops, despite led displays - they only give timetabled info. Some drivers get favoured treatment, especially the ones with a longer service or are cliqued, even though they are on higher rates and enjoy other perks - better overtime shifts, paid breaks, better sickness terms etc.

I hear regularly from passengers that complaints to customer services have had no response. 

Overall, the company is not living its marketing rhetoric, by a country mile :

"Our ambition is to become the Mobility partner of choice. We want our customers – passengers, Public Transport Authorities and partners – to choose Arriva every time because they trust us to deliver high quality, reliable, sustainable services at affordable prices."

The Wage you receive is absolutely fantastic and is the highest across all the bus companies. However there are quite a few downsides working for this company. Their rota system is all up in the air, you get placed into a pot called Link 20 which is the spare link. Basically you are like an Agency worker but you are actually employed by Arriva, any driver that phones in ill then you will be covering their shift, BUT if that driver was to return before you did his shift you will have that shift taken back off you and you could be on anyone of the routes in the links you have been trained on. Your personal life takes a huge hit as you will be doing various different shifts across multiple different patterns. You will also get given a bus that may or may not start and will probably break down on you. The St Helens branch is the place where the other depots send their unwanted buses. At first the job is too good to be true with the wage you get but then you will start to get upset with the work and personal life balance and how messed up it is. If you are single then you will love it but as for Guys/girls that are married or in relationships you will start seeing the struggles around the 5 month mark. I found all this out the hard way, the grass is not always greener on the other side, so if you leave another job to work for Arriva just for the money like I did, then you will be surprised how much worse off you will be in the long run. 

The good things;
* Nearly always over time available if you want to work your days off but remember you can only dive so meany hours in a 2 week time frame. 
* every 5-6 weeks you get a 4 day weekend 
* Some work mates were good people
* The customers/passengers 90% of the time are grate

The bad things;
* management 
* on site union reps to friendly with management, can’t be trusted to back you in any dispute. 
* No work/life balance 
* Long shifts, the average day being 10-11 hours long 
* No progression or chance to move up or around in the company.
* Dealing with drunk, drudged up passengers 
* Verbally abused daily 
* It’s an “if your face fits” & “jobs for the boys” culture at Arriva they are yet to catch up with modern work place practices.
* Lack of safety for drivers who are made to drive buses unfit for service
* Guarantee phone calls on your days off asking you to work 
* Holidays given at set times of the year so if you have kids & family then it’s difficult to change or swap with other divers & management or supervisors don’t help. 

I could carry on with the list of negative things about working for arriva but I value my time to much & my advice is that you do the same & avoid at all costs unless you want a stop gap job, 
Be warned tho I have friends in recruitment who have told that having bus diver experience on a CV it’s looked at as a negative unless your applying for a similar roll, due to everyone at some point having a bad experience with a bus driver, how true that is I don’t know.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Fitter 14 salaries reported	£35,908 per year
Engineering team leader 17 salaries reported	£53,529 per year
Bus driver 1 salary reported	£13.45 per hour
Engineer 2 salaries reported	£41,250 per year
Mechanic 21 salaries reported	£18.83 per hour

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