Since the advent of urban vehicles, the driver's profession is quite common, and even in our time it is extremely relevant. Despite the fact that other types of passenger transportation are now extremely developed, which are in no way inferior to cars, and sometimes even better and more comfortable, it is very difficult to imagine this market of services without buses. The relevance of this work can be verified simply by looking at the announcements of the character “bus driver, vacancies in Moscow”. The number of offers from employers that offer search engines will only confirm that such a specialist will not be left without work.
Who it
The specialist of this profession, first of all, carries passengers on regular flights. It can be local or intercity routes, some companies even offer custom-made trips in order, for example, to take children on an excursion or workers on corporate vacations in the fresh air.
In some cases, in addition to driving a vehicle, the bus driver is also required to sell tickets, provide advice to passengers, collect tolls and process cargo. Most often, such employees are needed in private transport companies and municipal institutions. A flexible approach to passengers, good driving skills, attentiveness and technical knowledge are required from the employee.
Responsibilities
There are two types of passenger transportation. The first corresponds to the previously announced route that the company offers, in the second case, the passenger himself orders where to go. In our country, buses and minibuses are the main form of urban and intercity public transport. Intercity buses drive through cities and countryside, stopping at scheduled locations. In addition to driving itself, the bus driver must sell tickets, help passengers, load and unload items, if they are heavy and large in size.
If we are talking about transportation to order, then it is the customer who determines where, when and why the bus goes, and where exactly the stops will be made. Depending on the rules of the company and the needs of the customer, the driver's job responsibilities may vary. The working hours of these employees can be either fixed or irregular. The main thing is that according to labor legislation, an employee can work no more than forty hours a week.
Job requirements
Work as a bus driver in Moscow concerns not only the technical side of the process, but also customer service, in connection with which, a candidate for a position requires not only good driving skills and knowledge of various devices, but also sociability. The driver must be well versed in the schedule of his route, the cost of the trip, where and when you need to make stops, as well as in other nuances associated with his flight.
Since the route must be carried out in strict accordance with the schedule, punctuality is required from the bus driver. Of course, severe weather conditions and unforeseen circumstances on the road can delay the flight, but without taking them into account, the bus must arrive at the bus stop in time, strictly following the declared schedule.
Important skills
It is very important that the employee is neat, attentive and patient, because he has a serious responsibility, he must make the trip pleasant and safe for passengers. Applicants who are able to safely drive vehicles while saving on fuel consumption are greatly appreciated. The bus driver assumes that the employee has well-developed vision, he is observant, able to quickly and calmly respond to the external environment and instantly evaluate and analyze the situation.
It is very important that the employee has good stress resistance and physical health. This is a sedentary work, there is always a draft, so professional spinal diseases can occur. Plus, moral stress, different passengers, changing weather conditions and a clear schedule exert constant moral pressure on the employee, which can also negatively affect his health.
Knowledge
Recently, bus driver vacancies include requirements for the need to know several foreign languages. In addition, the employee must have good technical knowledge, including all equipment in the transport entrusted to him and the ability to use it correctly in practice. More often than not, employees are required to know and be able to fix minor bus failures on their own. As the technical aspect of buses is constantly evolving and improving, a specialist must constantly improve his skill level.
Education
To become a Mosgortrans bus driver, you need to get a special education. First you need to get class D rights. After that, you need to pass the basic exam in institutions of this professional direction of the second degree. It is necessary to take courses in the direction of "Logistics with a focus on transport transportation." In addition, there is a chance to get a certificate of the ability to drive a bus and arrange training at the workplace itself.
Salary
The salary of a bus driver in Moscow is much higher than in the small cities of our country, but at the same time, if you look at the general standard of living and infrastructure, the average indicators are almost the same. It all depends on what flights the employee works for, in which company, and what range of services he provides.
In addition to the basic rate, the employee can also receive additional income if his shifts fell on night time, weekends or holidays. It is worth noting that in our country, most bus drivers are already near retirement age, so very soon the relevance of this profession can become much higher than now. Therefore, transport companies are trying to attract as many young specialists as possible to training in this area.
Pros of the profession
Any work has its positive and negative sides, and only a person, choosing his future profession, can evaluate what is more important for him. The main advantage of working as a driver is the ability to visit many places and communicate with a large number of different people. The second advantage is a large number of vacancies in the labor market, such a specialist will never be left without work and can always find a place for himself.
Cons of the profession
Among the minuses of this work, for example, a school bus driver has a very big responsibility for the life of his young passengers. In addition, there is no career growth in this area. There is no standardized working day. Regardless of weather conditions, the employee must drive or correct damage. A lot of working time is spent waiting until passengers get out and get on the bus. Salary may depend on a large number of factors, but usually it is not very high.
Features
From the outside, the driver’s profession seems very simple, as if there could be no important nuances and pitfalls in it, but in reality this is not so. Only a person with significant driving experience will be able to drive vehicles in any weather so that the safety of passengers does not suffer, even if other cars interfere with him, or he gets out of the route schedule.
The employee must not only receive all the necessary certificates, without which he will not be able to fulfill his duties, but also be well aware of the rules of the road, constantly confirm his skill level and monitor changes in the country's legislation. Workers in this field are required to have increased vigilance, endurance, patience. It is very important to quickly respond to stressful situations and prevent accidents.
Conclusion
At the moment, the relevance of the profession as a bus driver in the labor market is quite high, and according to forecasts, a shortage of specialists in this field may very soon arise. Therefore, choosing this profession, there is no doubt that without a job a good employee will not remain for sure. But it is very important to understand that this is not a very simple position. In addition to driving a vehicle, you must also deal with the maintenance of the bus, use all its equipment and, if necessary, carry out repairs directly on the highway.
In addition to technical skills, one should not forget that drivers constantly work in the service sector, and they often have to communicate with a variety of people. And if part of them can be interesting, then the second half can be unpleasant. In addition, there are no career prospects in this profession, and the salary of a bus driver is high only in some large companies. Also, due to a sedentary workplace, constant drafts and moral stress, there is a chance to get occupational diseases that mainly concern the spine, legs and eyesight. In this regard, before choosing a driver’s profession, you should seriously evaluate all its advantages and disadvantages, find out the features and understand whether this is really what you would like to do all your life.