London Sovereign Employee Reviews

You end up working long days or even 10-12 days in a row after chasing over time , the duties are set out so one week you make a decent amount of money but another week your hours could be the bare minimum . The allocation staff are very bias and give all over time and rest days to their friends .Some duties are mixed times and days , one week you could be starting at 5am and the next week 1pm,Be prepared to never get a set weekly wage only average , sick pay is dependent on the length of time you have been there and even then it works out at the maximum of £50 a day. Overall not a terrible place to work for but management could be more supportive and acknowledge there staffUpon giving this company 5years of my life with a good service , when I left and handed in my resignation , the only reply I got from management was “ you are required to return all equipment “ no thank you no well wishes lol

Pros

Free travel on tfl

Cons

Longs days, no family life or social life

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Lone working

Bus Driver (Former Employee) - Tolworth - 23 May 2023

If you like working alone, not talking to anyone for 10 hours then is the job for you. 8 days on a row without a day off and constant change of shift patterns. Little help from management when there is an issue and a negative atmosphere in the garage. If you are a bad sleeper avoid

Pros

Pay rises thanks to the union

Cons

Bad work life balance

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Jobs at London Sovereign

Trainee Bus Driver - Park Royal Garage

Payroll Administrator

London

30+ days ago

Bus Driver Perspective at London Sovereign -Edgware

Bus Driver (Current Employee) - Edgware, Greater London - 29 July 2019

Like all bus operators London Sovereign too are short in bus driver position. The main reason for this is the hourly rate for new drivers which is around £11.79 July 2019. Basically if a driver does only the contract hours that week 38, they will earn around £340-360, which is too low considering the difficulty and responsibilites of this role. Drivers working on this rate are pushed by allocation to do overtime, some end up doing 50-60 hours a week, which also puts passengers at risk and you get accidents on the road. If the drivers want they are allowed by the operator to work up to 16 days in a row and after they must have one day off. Only after two years service in the company the hourly rate will increase by £0.80-0.85. After completing three years in service a driver goes into the top rate. Like all operators there is collective pay rise every year usually 2-3 %. 70-80% off the drivers do not manage to get into the top rate as many leave, go to different operators or get sacked. There are duties on all routes that pay less than 7 hours and 36 mins, example a driver can came to work and do a duty that pays only 5 hours or 6hours and 22min...but unfortunatly if the duty is less than 7.26 London Sovereign does not pay minimum duty 7.36 like all other operators that pay minimum 7.36 even if the duty is shorter. When it comes to annual holiday the company is flexible, drivers can request dates. Most of the colleagues ( drivers) are friendly and helpful people.

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Nice place to work

Bus driver (Former Employee) - Edgware Station - 17 May 2017

There are some really nice people there that are willing to take the time out to help others and advise them on matters that they are not too sure on. As a bus driver you need to be patient as you will have people that are elderly or disabled and it takes them more time to get on and off the bus.

Pros

Meeting some nice people

Cons

Not always finishing on time

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i enjoy working as bus conductor

bus conductor (Former Employee) - Middlesex, ENG - 5 December 2013

i start my work half hour before i sign on and the saff management used to happy with me always including the supervisor and the garage manager as well ,i used to good to my work mate and i used to change duty when they need to sweep the duty due to they got important work to do and i do paly pool games with my work mate at garage, i enjoy working with diffrent culture people and getting new knoledge from them , i give them shoter and quicker way to their destinatio, i never got any hard time with my passenger/customer because i been nice and polite with them at all time Edit review

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Insights into London Sovereign

Based on 3 survey responses

What people like

Clear sense of purpose
Time and location flexibility
Overall satisfaction

Areas for improvement

Sense of belonging
Support from manager
Ability to learn new things

Good Company

Bus Driver/ Panel Controller (Former Employee) - Edgware, ENG - 12 June 2013

When I am doing Panel Controller, It can be hard day at work, as I will have responsibility of 130 buses coming in and out, I was trained by the company to how to supervised, Observed and do a Written Report of the daily run out, I was getting on very well with the Management and was always on a good terms, When I became a Panel Controller, I noticed driver attitude change toward me but in the end, I was the same person when I was a driver, so it was a bonus that I didn't have a problem, I have always thought that I need the drivers more that anything else to ensure a teamwork and the smooth running of service. Hardest of my job is when the buses become unfit for services, I had to organised plan B to ensure we provided a full service as possible which means that I have to drive the drivers to the bus terminates to change over relief drivers rather that bringing the bus in the garages for relief. Most enjoyable time is when things goes smoothly, I get a chance to communicate with drivers and willing to help with my colleagues tasks. Teamwork is a must. I love driving and doing other task. I have never get tired being in the Transport Industry, because I have a excellent skills.