Currently available in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region and Tees Valley.

Start a career that you love, with a great salary and guaranteed hours. Train for free and become a bus driver in South Yorkshire.

‘Route to Success’ is a free training programme that takes people with no bus driving experience and equips them with the skills to become professional drivers.

Whether you’re unemployed and looking to get back into work, or employed but looking to retrain into a new career, this course is your opportunity to take the wheel and start an exciting new career.

In just one week, you will gain new skills and knowledge and become industry-aware to get behind the wheel of a bus. Once the programme is over don’t worry, you are guaranteed an interview with a large operator within South Yorkshire and we’ll support you with your interview giving you the best chance to start your dream career without delay.

Stage one – myth busting and engagement

In stage one, you’ll be learning all about the skills you need to excel in the profession.

From myth-busting to expectations of a bus driver, through to a day in the life of and progression stories. We’ll introduce you to the theory tests and hazard perceptions tests and you’ll even get to have a go at the mock tests. You will then be offered a guaranteed interview with a large operator within the South Yorkshire region. We will make sure that the offer is located close to your home and will talk you through your options before the end of the programme. For a limited few there is also an option to continue the programme to stage 2.

Stage two – hands on bus driving experience *limited places*

Limited to 50 spaces, upon successful completion of stage one, you will then complete your driving licence application and undertake your medical test. We like to get these important elements sorted in the first week to ensure that you can get started in your new role without delay.

You will then learn the practical skills required to safely operate a passenger carrying vehicle. This is the part where you will gain hands-on driving experience with our partners. You will also prepare for, and undertake theory testing but don’t worry, we’ll make sure you are well prepared. You will then be guaranteed an interview with one of South Yorkshire’s smaller operators. Throughout stage 2 the Route To Success team will be discussing options with you to ensure you get an interview that’s the right fit for you.

Stage three – starting your new career

All participants for the South Yorkshire Route To Success programme will be invited back to a Networking event whereby they have a chance to interact and form a network of colleagues with other Route to Success learners plus you will also be gaining insight into the industry from leaders and influencers from the Passenger Transport industry. We will also ensure that you will have a Workforce Retention and Action Plan that we will work with your Smaller Operators to nsure you have a plan long into your career with them.

To create and deliver Route to Success, funding has been made available from West Yorkshire Combined Authority, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Tees Valley Combined Authority.

Whether you’re unemployed and looking to get back into work, or employed but looking to retrain into a new career, this course is your opportunity to take the wheel and start an exciting new career.

To complete the South Yorkshire bus driver programme, you will need to be:

• Over the age of 19
• Living in South Yorkshire
• A car driver (with a category B licence)
• And that’s it!

This course is packed with all the elements you need to start a bright career in bus driving.

You can expect to cover:

• Overview of the programme and employment progression, and myth-busting (expectations of a bus driver, small vs large bus operators, driver progression stories)
• PCV vehicles and the transition from car to PCV, with theory test training via Theory Test Pro
• Barriers to working in the passenger transport industry
• Industry insights, such as ‘a day in the life of a bus driver’ and customer service with experiential learning
• How to communicate with the different stakeholders a bus driver communicates with and employability skills in communication
• Insight into common issues bus drivers face, including myth-busting recap and employability skills in resilience and problem-solving
• Provide an opportunity to contextualize learning and link to customer service skills, with mock theory and hazard testing via Theory Test.
• After the programme, you can expect a guaranteed interview with an employer near you.

We asked people what they liked about being a bus driver, they said:

• Great pay
• Full time work guaranteed – no zero-hour contracts!
• Chance for overtime
• Every day is unique
• Meeting new people
• Being responsible for their passengers
• Making a difference to the lives of others