How much experience did you have before you drove a bus?

[Jerram]

...In unsupervised revenue service that is.

The reason I ask this question is because just now I've been pondering the fact that when I first "took full command" (btw of a Volvo B7 CB60 MkI, Translink route 241 @ 0630 on a Friday morning - that evening I was piloting a 6spd B10M Autobus out of Brisbane's peak hour traffic melee) I had only had;
5 hours' experience driving buses,
and 9 hours' experience driving any heavy vehicle; To get my MR license I did a "1 day" course (4 hours) and passed the test first go.

As much as driving buses was fun I now work for QR National and I guess the fact that trainee train drivers can spend up to 1 year full time (at minimum 9 months) in training before they're allowed to drive by themselves (mostly they drive with a "mate") has been a bit of an eye opener.

I think I find it a little strange that in this day and age with all the crap that goes on to do with everything (you know what I mean) a young bloke 20 years old can walk in off the street and in pretty much no time at all be given the great responsibility that comes with driving a bus.

so, how long was it before you were in the coach captain's chair?

[CCCC]

Did my learning and testing on a Mitsubishi canter then when passed
had it automatically upgraded to 4A.
Went to the local bus company a few days later and started the
following day doing a school run in an atlantian decker, morning run
had another driver to show me how to drive and were to pick up and
the afternoon run was all mine.

I think you had to be 21 back then to drive a public bus.

[Derwent]

Had a bunch I experience on light trucks hen I did a one day MR course and got my licence.
When I applied at the bus company I was taken out for a 20 minute demo then I drove back.
I was hired, did a day or two riding shotgun learning the tickets, routes etc then I was doing charters for a few days on my own before a couple of days driving with a trainer riding shotgun.
Then it was out on The road.

[captainch]

drove trams then was put into a albion crash box bus given a week changing gears,then went to local mcop shop ,drove with copper onboard throught the city, told me i'd pased payed my one pound /$2 dollars got my lience then drove trams, trolley buses, till last nite of trams then drove brisbane buses for 2 months then came to sydney to work on buses! all up 40 years driving buses!

[Andrew]

I had driven some trucks here and there, not many though. Went to the bus co. - they took me out for a lap in the shortest easiest auto route bus, said I was okay - that was Wednesday, on Thursday got the call asking if I could work that weekend, show up on Saturday and get allocated what was then one of the newest buses in the fleet, about 5,000km only on it....