Route to Success - North East

About the course

Thinking about a career in bus and coach driving? Route to Success is a free four-day course designed to take you from ‘curious’ to ‘confident’ and put you on the road to a PCV licence.

You’ll get a real feel for what it means to drive for a living - the good, the challenging, and everything in between - so you’ll know exactly what you’re signing up for.

What’s included:

• Fully funded training, plus support applying for your licence
• Time behind the wheel of a real bus
• Customer service training
• Help finding your next role
• A guaranteed interview with a local employer
  

Why drive buses for a living?

• Competitive, dependable pay
• Full-time hours you can rely on
• No two shifts are the same
• A job built around people
• A genuine role in your local community

Route to Success is funded by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness heads the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, (North East MSA) serving an area of 2.2 million people including County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland. For more information visit: www.northeast-ca.gov.uk.

What you'll cover on the Route to Success course:

• Setting the record straight. Bus driving comes with a lot of assumptions. We’ll separate the myths from reality, so you know exactly what the job involves.
• Getting to grips with PCVs. Passenger-carrying vehicles handle differently to cars - we’ll walk you through what changes and what you’ll need to learn.
• Ready for your theory test. Structured prep to help you pass your theory and hazard perception tests with confidence.
• Handling the tough days. Every job has its challenges. We’ll cover the common ones drivers face and build your toolkit for staying steady under pressure.
• It’s a people job too. Driving is only half the role. You’ll practice delivering great service in realistic passenger scenarios.
• Interview-ready. Sharpen your communication and employability skills to help you land a great career and settle in fast.
• Learning by doing. Get hands-on with a demonstration vehicle and try a virtual work trial before you’re behind the wheel for real.
• Who you’ll work alongside. Understand the wider network of people and organisations that keep passenger transport moving.

Your Route to Success
At the end of the four days, you'll:

• be better prepared for the next stage of practical PCV driver training
• have a clear picture of the role and opportunities available
• develop confidence, resilience, and communication skills
• be ready to move on to hands-on bus driving training in Stage 2.

Is this for you?
Whether you're out of work and ready for a fresh start, or in a job but ready for something new, Route to Success is open to you. You'll need to:

• be 19 or over.
• live in the Northeast [confirm boundary].
• hold a full, valid UK car driving licence (Category B).

Nothing else needed - we'll teach you the rest.