‘I earn £33k as a London bus driver – we’re told not to confront fare dodgers’

This is part of a series called ‘The secret life of…’, pulling back the curtain on professions you’ve always wanted to know more about. If you want to anonymously reveal all about your job, email money@telegraph.co.uk. 

I became a bus driver just before my 40th birthday. I had been working in a bakery and was feeling that I needed to make a change. I had always loved driving, but I was concerned that it was considered a “man’s job” and that women behind the wheel were few and far between. 

My childhood was spent in Romania, and I came here when I was just 22 years old. So I’ve been living and working in England for half of my life now, mainly working in hospitality. I knew I needed a job that paid well and worked around looking after my daughter and her school. Working in the bakery wasn’t giving me that flexibility or high enough wages and it was hard work, too.

Back in Romania, I began learning to drive at 16 and as soon as I could I passed my test. I’ve loved driving ever since, it relaxes me – you just have to sit still and concentrate.

One day a friend told me he was thinking about becoming a bus driver and I began to consider it myself. I listened to all the good things about the job he was telling me but I didn’t see many women driving so I didn’t feel confident enough to do it myself. I hesitated and didn’t enrol when my friend did, but it got me thinking.

My friend kept talking to me about the job for the next four years and, eventually, I began to believe what he was saying. It was a second chance for me, and I knew I should give it a try knowing that if it didn’t go well, I could always go back to working in restaurants and customer service. 

One big concern was working at night but we get our rotas six months in advance so I can work out my childcare with my partner, who also works shifts. 

To become a London bus driver you need to complete PCV training in compliance with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. It took about five months in all and I passed the course – after a four-hour practical driving test and theory and hazard perception exam – the first time. 

The hard part is driving down narrow country lanes. When I was learning I kept wondering how it was going to be possible to get it down a road with cars parked on either side. To turn around a corner there are times when the bus needs to occupy both lanes. On my usual route you turn onto the motorway and that can be scary. 

The best bit is that you get paid while you train. I now earn £33,000 and work five days a week. I can earn overtime too, and the rate is higher on the night shift and early mornings. 

My bus route goes from the Queensbury Morrisons in north-west London via Edgware station to Meadfield. 

There are 19 stops along the way. I tend to work mid-morning to late afternoon which is good for me. Some of my colleagues do the early shift which starts around 4.50am going through to 3pm. When I do the late shift that begins around 4pm finishing around midnight or 1am.

Driving on the buses is all about keeping your mood in check. If you get up in the morning and you’re struggling, that runs throughout the day and then you will find it stressful. I try to leave whatever I have going on at home on the doorstep and separate home and work, then I can enjoy my day on the buses. 

I make sure to have bathroom breaks at the start and end points. I’m lucky that my drive is local, and I can physically nip out when I need to. That said, you can’t go to the loo midway through a route. 

My journey takes around 50 minutes, or an hour with heavy traffic. It’s not like that for all bus drivers, some are on the road for two hours at a time without a break.

Passengers do get angry if the bus is late or we are stuck in a traffic jam, which is something I can’t control. They’re getting to work late or missing their own appointments, which means they get frustrated. They also raise their voices at me if I say that we are at full capacity and they can’t get on.

I can press a button when a passenger refuses to pay, and I do. For our own safety, we are taught not to force a payment or to evict someone from the bus. Instead, I explain to them (twice) that they must pay for a ticket and if they continue to refuse then I activate the button. Transport for London has a record of it as soon as I press it. It shows those fare dodgers, at that particular stop and at that moment in time.