Question:
I understand this is "truck"net but are there any perks or drawbacks when driving a city bus or private bus is it better or worse than driving a truck local,regional, or OTR I am just curious I just got offered a position to drive my local city bus and was just wondering if I should take it or stay with the trucking I would love to get some feed back from people with some knowledge in that area thanks.

Answer:
Did they not tell you what the pay, beenies, etc would be.
Some city bus driving jobs pay very well and offer great benefits while others don't.
There are some obvious differences between driving a bus and driving a truck OTR.
BUS:
Deal with public your entire shift
Home every night
More than likely will work only an 8 hour shift
Will be driving in city traffic all day long.
A bus is a long rigid vehicle.
What you need to do is figure out what your weekly pay would be driving a bus. What your benefits would be (insurance, vacation, etc.)
And then most importantly figure out what will make you happy.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
drove a city bus for 9 years a while back.
Except for dealing with the mostly rude public on a daily basis, constant traffic, people who absolutely refuse to let you and your bus back in, being hit, slapped, and spit on at least once a week...
It was an ok job

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I doubt I'd care to drive a city bus. Now a charter tour bus might be fun...
@#*!%$^@!
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My pay would be around $16-$17/hr and I will work 50-60hr weeks and I have full health coverage and get Sundays off thats is all I know right now.

Answer:
I'm not too sure that the reward is worth the risk - city bus drivers have to put up with some of the worst that people have to offer.

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I have driven many different types of buses in addition to tractor trailers. Overall, I believe the bus driving is better. Charter motorcoach being the best of it all. Now here's why:
1. In truck driving, you will likely start OTR and be gone all the time, with very short times at home. With bus driving, you may occasionally go out of town, but certainly not all the time. I was home about every night and if I did go out of town (which I could choose to do), all the meals, hotel rooms, and other accommodations were paid for by the company or charter group. Some restaurants give the bus driver a free meal and place to park for bringing a group of passengers in. This never happens in truck driving. You will pay for everything yourself and it is not cheap. Your nights will be spent in the back of the truck far away from home and family. Food will be from a truckstop restaurant or whatever you can slap together in the cab.
2. Someone said that a bus is a long rigid vehicle. This is true, but as an inexperienced bus/motorcoach driver, a good company will give you some training to get used to it. Once you get used to it, it is really not hard to operate. Most of them have automatic transmissions, especially if they are within the last 20 years, and the transmission itself is no more difficult than the auto. in a car.
3. If you like to talk to people, bus driving is for you. At most companies, you will get to know everyone at the company - other drivers, dispatch, managers, scheduling, and even repair people. And they will get to know you. Not to mention all the passengers who you can talk to as well.
4. You will occasionally encounter the occasional rude passenger, but the good passengers far outnumber the bad ones.
5. With a motorcoach bus, you will have to haul luggage and load/unload it in the bays. I would say that this is much easier than unloading a truck by hand. Not to mention cash tips from the passengers. If you drive a city bus, you will not have to touch any luggage, and will probably not even get out of the seat all day.
6. Pay is usually lower overall for bus drivers than truck drivers, but there is a quality of life that comes from going to familiar places and being home regularly. I would say that you make more per hour no matter what bus driving job you take. How? Figure that if you drive OTR, you are only getting paid per mile driven. That leaves many hours of uncompensated work every week. In bus driving, you are usually paid hourly for all hours worked on the company clock.
You may want to talk to other drivers at the bus company and seriously consider it. Depending on the routes they give you, you may actually like it. I tell people that if they have no truck driving experience and don't want to go OTR, bus/motorcoach driving may be better for them. Good luck to you whatever you choose.

Answer:
Hired a fellow a few years back that used to be a coach driver. Mostly long distance type trips(overnight anyway).
He loved it for the most part. He got paid for traveling to lots of neat destinations. Most groups left GOOD tips(he was very friendly and talkative type). Never much ever paid for a meal, did sleep on the bus(had a special bunk for driver only). He received many "gifts" from people that liked his driving and professionalism. I heard many a story about it.
Granted it is not for everyone(just like trucking), but it can be interesting.
He has since left our company and went back to bus driving. He is now a super and does not drive anymore. Workin' up the corporate ladder.
Good luck
LarryK
1959 B Model Mack

Answer:
You might also want to check into driving a shuttle bus in Vegas (Airport to casino and back).
I heard 70K a year. Not to mention the wild a$$ women---ESPECIALLY THE WOMEN!
The bus is actually built on a cube van type chassis--we're not talking 40 ft. greyhound type, so you don't even need a B licence.
This is what I've heard. So you'll want to research very carefully. Remember Due Dilligence. I know a driver in Philadelphia who is thinking of doing just this; I will report back as soon as I know more.
"You know what they say......they say there's old drivers and there's bold drivers.......but you don't see too many bold, old drivers." Jim Reath (Dunn+Reath Barracuda)

Answer:
LOL sounds great thanks for all your help guys I will seriously consider doing that and research it further.

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...And another thing:
We must get away from this "rigid" and "articulated" nonsense.
Your tractor is "rigid" (I hope!) and the trailer it is towing is also "rigid" (I really hope!) It IS NOT one vehicle that "bends" in the middle--It is two vehicles. One towing the other.
"Articulated" was probably coined by some buerocrat who had the task of classifing vehicles thrust upon him/her. It's horse$hit.

Answer:
I dont think articulated trucks was "coined by some buerocrat".
CAT D350C
Link-Belt D300
Volvo A40 40T Dump Truck
Those are Articulated trucks.
The dictionary states; "2 a : to unite by means of a joint : JOINT b : to form or fit into a systematic whole"
I suppose you could say a Semi truck and trailer are complete when joined making them a "whole". Articulated might work for them also.
As far as the posters question. Living where he does the wage is not high. About average maybe. But 50 to 60 hours a weeks makes it much better. So now he has the choice. Spend alot of money on truck school and hope he isn't one of the 90 plus percentage that quits and looses his money or take a job that can be enjoyable. Also knowing some Bus Drivers I will say it is not all gloom and doom. The drivers I know like their jobs and deal with very good people every day. I suppose in the minds of some because a person is on a bus it must make them a lower class citizen prone to violence and poor behavior. Having ridden in many city buses I can also say there was never a problem and usually enjoyable to talk with the folks on it also.
It doesn't sound bad to me.
"Caution: Door May Open"

Answer:
If it was up to me I would take the job. You get to be home every night and you have health insurance and not a bad wage. If you should still find yourselve wanting to drive, the money you could save up and not have any loans to repay. Some will say that driving a bus want count for anything but I beg to differ. If your a good employee thats on time and have a safe driving record with the company it will show that you would make a good driver if you should go OTR
When I got into trucking, I thought I would love driving all over the country, but quickly found out that I wasnt cut out for that lifestyle. I lucked out and got a dedicated run, using a daycab tractor, so I was home daily. I pulled 48 & 53 vans.Loved it.
A friend that I worked with was talking to me about the days he drove a tanker hualing gas. I told him that I would never drive a tanker. Boy did I eat my words. I got a job pulling a tanker and loved it also. I currently have an app with a company to pull a dump bed trailer. Don't know if I will like it but I feel it opens up my wide range of driving experiences.Who knows, maybe one day I will drive a bus.
STEPPING OFF OF MY SOAP BOX NOW....

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Yes, those front end loader types are "articulated vehicles" because they really do bend in the middle--but those machines really are one vehicle.
I still say a tractor-trailer is two vehicles, a tractor towing two trailers (doubles) is three vehicles. To believe otherwise is gorilla$hit.
This is akin to interchanging the terms "SUV" and "4X4"......sort of.
I do apogle for getting too far off topic.
[This message was edited by Chad Sexington on September 04, 2003 at 0:52.]
[This message was edited by Chad Sexington on September 04, 2003 at 0:59.]

Answer:
Thanks for your opinion coolbreeze I will take it into consideration, I agree with almost completely.