The Fun Bus!
Driving a bus in London is hard. Harder than id've thought. Iam a slave to my mirrors. I watch them, glance at them, get dizzy looking between them, keeping a consistent eye on my 10m long, 7 tonne bus-arse and where it is going, ensuring it doesn't ride the kerb, wipe out pedestrians, impact motorcyclists, dent cars, take out bus stops on rough dates at dodgy restaurants... When i learned i had the job and subsequent training, the Trainer who tested me in a Peugoet panel van said 'Within two weeks of your training starting, you'll be dreaming about rear vision mirrors in your sleep'. Make that one week lol.
Then there's London's roads. Most roads *just* fit the bus, then a few roads are nice n roomy, then often roads ARE TOO FUCKING SMALL. 90% of the roads i am driving on would be considered too narrow for a bus back in Australia... thats cos 90% of the roads in London are too narrow for a bus by anyone's standards, but dont let that stop you... Yet my job is to get the skills that see the professionals meander and traverse these roads with the finesse and skill that make car driving idiots like me assume that its easy, until i have to do it myself.
The reason you, as a car driver, never crash into buses and trucks, is NOT cos you are a 'good' driver. Its because those piloting buses and trucks are 'better' drivers and are watching out for you.
Its been an interesting, if stressful challenge. The Trainer has said im doing 'better than average' and as such, im getting fast tracked, which is nice. The bus im driving is an 19 year old single decker Man, with an Optare body. A 'shagged out' 7 litre naturally aspirated straight six engine powers it to its top speed of 62mph. Up hills of any angle, it wont do more than 15mph and pulling away from a standstill, well, my granny could run faster than it. I would be driving a double decker training bus, but its up for its MOT at the moment lol. As it goes the Optare is the same width and length, if only half the weight and height of the double deckers, which are all turbo diesels thankfully. Width and length are far more pressing concerns than height and weight, as it goes.
This is my training bus, photographed with my phone...you look at it and think... 'its not thaaat big...' Yeah, not until you try and drive it lol.
Where all the 'fear' takes place.
Partially stripped out interior.
Ive gotta finish reading the 400 page PCV theory test book before Tuesday. Meanwhile lol, im gunna drive myself in the bus over to my last dole sign in on Monday.
Meanwhile...
Ive been out of Australia for a year and three days.
Then there's London's roads. Most roads *just* fit the bus, then a few roads are nice n roomy, then often roads ARE TOO FUCKING SMALL. 90% of the roads i am driving on would be considered too narrow for a bus back in Australia... thats cos 90% of the roads in London are too narrow for a bus by anyone's standards, but dont let that stop you... Yet my job is to get the skills that see the professionals meander and traverse these roads with the finesse and skill that make car driving idiots like me assume that its easy, until i have to do it myself.
The reason you, as a car driver, never crash into buses and trucks, is NOT cos you are a 'good' driver. Its because those piloting buses and trucks are 'better' drivers and are watching out for you.
Its been an interesting, if stressful challenge. The Trainer has said im doing 'better than average' and as such, im getting fast tracked, which is nice. The bus im driving is an 19 year old single decker Man, with an Optare body. A 'shagged out' 7 litre naturally aspirated straight six engine powers it to its top speed of 62mph. Up hills of any angle, it wont do more than 15mph and pulling away from a standstill, well, my granny could run faster than it. I would be driving a double decker training bus, but its up for its MOT at the moment lol. As it goes the Optare is the same width and length, if only half the weight and height of the double deckers, which are all turbo diesels thankfully. Width and length are far more pressing concerns than height and weight, as it goes.
This is my training bus, photographed with my phone...you look at it and think... 'its not thaaat big...' Yeah, not until you try and drive it lol.
Where all the 'fear' takes place.
Partially stripped out interior.
Ive gotta finish reading the 400 page PCV theory test book before Tuesday. Meanwhile lol, im gunna drive myself in the bus over to my last dole sign in on Monday.
Meanwhile...
Ive been out of Australia for a year and three days.
