Question time with Bogdan Dobrowolski, bus driver and drone enthusiast

Exclusive behind the scenes blog series!

In our latest blog post, we will be talking to Bogdan, one of our Coventry bus drivers who is also a very passionate drone footage enthusiast. Read on to find out his favourite seat, favourite bus route and where some of his drone footage has been featured!

Tell us about yourself

I am a bus driver for Coventry, I am originally from Poland and moved to Coventry to drive buses. My passion in my spare time is capturing photographs and drone footage of local places and landscapes. I started doing this in 2017 when I purchased my first GoPro, which then convinced me to upgrade my technology. I now have a drone and multiple cameras, to make my footage more interesting and engaging for people that like to view my footage.
I also enjoy windsurfing in my spare time, which you can see on my YouTube channel, where I am teaching a friend how to do this!

How long have you been a bus driver?

In September 2005 I started as a bus driver for Travel West Midlands. I was first recruited in Poland for Travel West Midlands, then moved over to Coventry to start driving buses for the Coventry community.

Have you always been a fan of buses? 

Yes, even back in my hometown of Poland, I love how it's a community asset, connecting people to places they need to travel to. I love capturing buses within landscapes when I'm taking photos and capturing drone footage in my spare time.

How long have you been capturing drone footage? 

Since 2017, when i first discovered this hobby and now i am still doing it!

What is your favourite type of footage to capture?

Generally I take Coventry based footage because I live in Coventry and it is a good place to test my equipment, and it helps to promote my local community.
I take footage and my equipment when I am on holiday too, so I can capture amazing places and moments.

Capturing drone footage really is a hobby of mine, and you can tell how passionate I am about it as I was included in making the City of Culture drone footage video for Coventry moves.

What does bus travel mean to you?

Bus travel is something that serves the community and local people when they need it most. I feel that being a bus driver can impact the community in a positive way, and if I can help people by driving buses, this is something that makes me happy. 

What is your favourite bus route? 

My favourite route is the 11 and 12X. I have recently started driving this route, and It is a very scenic landscaped route (I have always got my photographic/drone footage head on for new content for my YouTube channel!)

What has it been like working during a pandemic? 

I continued to drive buses through the pandemic, and I loved helping people that needed to use public transport the most, such as helping key workers get to work. I enjoyed being able to help and support the community, and trying to make this strange and unknown time easier for others. 

Who is your biggest inspiration?

My biggest inspiration as a bus driver was actually National Express because they are a big international company for myself, and when I lived in Poland I aspired to work for an internationally recognised company.

Keep your eyes peeled for more behind the scenes interviews coming very soon. Enjoying this blog series? Explore more posts from our Q&A blog series below.