READING BUSES Employee Reviews

When I first started there as a trainee it felt like a great place to work with lovely academy manager,trainers and route learning were excellent and when you start driving a bus and start on your own the managers/supervisors will only want you when they will need you to cover shortage of drivers and If you don't help them when they need you to work on Rest days then you are out of their list to be given any Overtime in future. There are some amazing colleagues who are experienced and talented who can replace the impatient rude control managers.there's no progression In the co.It is a good company to work for untill and unless you work only your contracted hours and Learn to say no for forceful Rest days work.

Pros

Paid breaks, great colleagues/good pay

Cons

Poor management

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Best company I've ever worked for

Bus Driver (Current Employee) - Slough - 31 August 2022

Really treat there staff well really understanding and friendly management. Very nice busrs to drive,Lots of overtime good work life balance,Good pension scheme.

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Insights into READING BUSES

Based on 12 survey responses

Areas for improvement

Ability to learn new things
Support from manager
Energising work tasks

Not a good place to work at all

Bus Driver (Former Employee) - Reading - 28 April 2022

Company is a joke and so is the management.Favourism,politics and back stabbing snitches, it's all there.AOM(Junior managers) and allocation staff are useless who should not be there in the first place.Shifts keeps rotating so no life especially people with family avoid.Company never backs you.

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It pays well, but that's about it.

Driver (Current Employee) - Reading - 18 February 2022

I've been there for not far off 10 years. If all that you need is income then great. I have found it to be the most stressful, soul destroying and tedious job I have ever done (I am in my late 50's). Dealing with as many people as you do, not just passengers but other road users, that's 1000's of people a week is really tiring. As Bus companies go Reading Buses is better than some I think, but there is little to no work life balance. They push for more and more from drivers without understanding the consequences, however I know this is endemic in employment generally. You have to be remarkably thick skinned or don't care about nearly everything for this job to last. The turnover of drivers is huge - that says it all!

Pros

Pays well. Decent work colleagues.

Cons

Little work life balance, uncomfortable working environment, Directors unbelievably out of touch even with middle management.

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Not appreciated

Bus Driver (Current Employee) - ReadingBerkshire - 11 December 2021

Used to enjoy working there but are now treated poorly by management there is a shortage of drivers and more leave all the time buses are getting old and leak water when it is raining any damage does not get repaired unless it is dangerous

Pros

None

Cons

Long hours

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Good company to work for

Bus Driver (Former Employee) - England, AR - 7 October 2020

Good place to work for and training is very good smart uniform latest vehicals to drive and a variety off buses to drive excellent training programmes

Pros

Cheap lunches

Cons

Long hours

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Driver

Driver/buddy (Current Employee) - Reading - 2 October 2020

Very stressful them and us attitude no backing from management very rude customers but they are always right according to management the other drivers are very friendly

Pros

Friendly drivers

Cons

Long hours no respect

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If you have to drive a bus -

Bus Driver (Current Employee) - Reading, Berkshire - 1 May 2020

About to start my 6th year driving a bus. A miserable stressful job with the hours preventing any form of social life. I get paid very well which is some compensation, if I was paid less then I wouldn't be doing this. You get the feeling that management are interested in welfare, but in practical terms do nothing to change it. The industry hasn't changed for decades, and commercial pressures aren't going to help improve things anytime soon. In fact in my short time doing this, it's got worse in terms of being pushed to do more. This company isn't unique in this respect I know, I suspect it's even worse working for the bigger firms. If you are capable of just turning up to work, doing it, not caring too much, not interested people (there's an irony in that), and going home again with no concerns for the future then being a Bus Driver is the job for you. Working for Reading Buses would be a good bet. If you are at all creative, care about doing a good job and want to have some input into your working environment, oh and using your brain, then look elsewhere for a job.

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If you want a life

Bus Driver (Current Employee) - Reading, Berkshire - 30 October 2019

If you have a family or want to have a life I wouldn’t recommend working here the work life balance is pretty much non existent and holiday is also allocated apart from about 3-4 days

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Good earning potential, can be stressful.

bus driver (Former Employee) - Reading, Berkshire - 10 October 2019

There is a good earning potential at Reading buses with a good basic rate of pay and plenty of overtime available if wanted. The work can be stressful due to the nature of the job but it really depends on how you want to take it.

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Fun and caring

Bus driver (Former Employee) - Reading, Berkshire - 27 September 2017

Fun workplace and easy to make friends with great benefits at the time I was there .. shift changes were good as I could spend time with family and friends

Pros

Good shifts

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Productive

Part Time Sales Assistant (Former Employee) - Reading, Berkshire - 8 September 2017

I worked for reading buses and I really enjoyed my time there as it was my first job and I learnt all different kind of customer service skills. I loved being able to interact with people face to face.

Pros

good lunch hours

Cons

bit slow paced work sometimes

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Good place to work.

Driver (Former Employee) - Reading - 23 August 2017

Reading Buses knew how to look after their staff. The routes were varied and they provided good training and career progression. The staff were friendly and everybody was made to feel welcome.

Pros

Uniform, good career structure.

Cons

Early hours.

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Psv driver

Bus & Coach Driver (Former Employee) - Berkshire - 9 January 2017

Taking passengers to and from a 2 b, working shifts, driving different kinds of busses, taking money, learning routes, staying within eu driving regulation on domestic rules.

Pros

good money

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bus driver

Bus driver (Current Employee) - Reading, Berkshire - 5 January 2017

do checks on the bus and day to day running of services with loading of bus and unloading. Different routes and shifts. And taking company monies and paying in.

Pros

free bus travel

Cons

long shifts

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Award winning company

Bus Driver (Current Employee) - Reading - 28 July 2015

A well run award winning company, excellent rates of pay and hoilday entitlement. First class working conditions, including modern fleet, uniform and customer service. A progressive inovated company with forward thinking managers

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Good place to work if you happy to have no private live

Bus driver (Current Employee) - Reading - 10 March 2015

Great place to work ,good salary and a lot benefits but the downsites are unsocial working hours,split shifts,vehicles are probably the worst I have driven,9 yo buses

Pros

sick pay, free travel

Cons

long hours

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Great and friendly workplace

assistant mechanic (Former Employee) - Reading, ENG - 18 June 2013

I was shadowing a mechanic and learnt how to change breaks and perform an inspection. The team were great and very friendly.i also learnt that it was important to keep the workplace clean and tidy

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