Our ten-step action plan to improving our service

If you’ve been on one of our buses recently, you may have experienced a delay, it might have been very busy or even the bus might not have turned up. 

We exist for our customers and, because we know how important it is to get you from A-B, we are sincerely sorry if we let you down. We wanted to let you know why this is happening and what we’re doing about it.

As things have re-opened post-pandemic, we’ve experienced a driver shortage in the West Midlands. And it’s not just us, there’s a shortage of drivers across the UK. We’re known as a good employer in the West Midlands, which has helped cushion the blow to some extent but we still have 7% fewer bus drivers than we need - and that means sometimes services are late, busy or cancelled. 

So what are we doing about it?

• Paying our people more. Through close working with unions, we have agreed a new set of terms and conditions which will see a typical full-time bus driver paid £28,500 a year - and even more with overtime.  
• Improving flexibility. We’ve also revamped the working week to improve work/life balance. We have part time work, four-day weeks, and shorter week options; all designed to better fit people’s modern lives.
• Investing in training. We provide full training – all you need is a car licence and we’ll take it from there. We’ve hired more trainers and bought high-tech bus simulators to help people learn the ropes.
• Taking our state-of-the-art bus simulator out into the community. We want to encourage people who may not have considered bus-driving as a career to have a go. Our next simulator open day is in Coventry on 9th December - look out for more information coming soon! 
• Making it easier for new recruits to be trained. We have expanded our training school from one to four in key locations around the region and ensure that once recruits are identified they are fast-tracked so they can get on the roads serving our customers - still to our high ‘safety-first’ standards.
• Investing in our garages. We’re currently building a new high-spec garage in Perry Barr and we are investing in our other nine garages around the West Midlands to ensure we can prioritise our people’s well-being.
• All hands on deck. Everyone who can drive is driving. This includes our normally office-based colleagues who are trained to drive a bus; while we experience these issues they are out on the roads every day serving our customers.
• Working together with TfWM and other operators. We’re working closely through the Bus Alliance to ensure that all operators work together – for example through more partnership routes where passengers can catch any operators’ bus.
• Supporting our people. Sometimes some people cause trouble on our buses. We’re working with our partners in the police and Transport for West Midlands through the Safer Travel Partnership to crack down on them and make sure the travelling public, and our drivers, know we’re on their side - and that the perpetrators are dealt with.
• Making the West Midlands cleaner and greener. We’re investing in zero emission vehicles, which means our teams know they are playing a huge part in tackling climate change. If you drive for us, you know that you are helping make the West Midlands a little bit greener every day.

So if you’ve been inconvenienced by us, we are very sorry to have let you down. Please bear with us. Our intention is that things should get better over the next few weeks and months. 

As well as recruiting more drivers, we’re also focused on delivering for our communities:

• We’re keeping fares low when almost everything else is getting more expensive. A Day Saver costs £4 – the same as it did in 2014. It will stay at this low price next year too.
• We’re investing in new electric and hydrogen buses – saving the planet while giving you a smoother more comfortable ride with extra leg room and super-comfy seats.
• We’re continuing to serve every corner of the region. While other parts of the country are slashing services, we’re working with TfWM to ensure buses keep serving all parts of the West Midlands.

What can you do?

If you’re waiting for one of our buses, you can use an app like Google Maps to see when the bus is coming in real time. We know it’s still frustrating if the bus is late but it does mean you have an indication of when it will arrive.

Work for us!

If you want to join our awesome team of drivers with great pay, flexible hours and the chance to drive some pretty cool vehicles our careers page here.