A major recruitment drive is under way at the region's largest bus operator Go North East, as it looks to recruit 100 new bus drivers over the coming weeks.
The jobs have been made available as a result of new service patterns, contract wins and staff turnover.
The company has recently increased its pay rates to new and existing bus drivers; with new drivers earning £11 per hour following a short training period, rising to £12.83 per hour after a year in the job. Existing bus driver licence holders joining the company will earn £12.83 per hour straight away.
This takes the basic annual wage for Go North East bus drivers on a guaranteed 39 hour week to £22,308 in the first year and £26,019 after year one (or straight away for existing licence holders) with regular opportunities to earn overtime each week on top of this.
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Other benefits include free travel for drivers and discounted travel for their immediate families, five weeks holiday, sick pay, pension, and other benefits such as high street, shopping and holiday discounts via the company’s colleague benefit scheme. There are even early morning and late-night colleague shuttle buses to get people to/from work before normal buses are running.
Training is paid for by Go North East, and its driver academy will help and support people through their bus driving test which is held at the company’s depot in Gateshead. The company also provides a uniform and footwear as well as providing ongoing professional competence and refresher training.
Almost 2,000 people work at the company, driving and maintaining its fleet of 500 buses at garages across the region in Gateshead, Sunderland, Washington, North Tyneside, Hexham and Consett.
Gary Edmundson, operations director at Go North East said “Being a bus driver is a job with real purpose, and days are never the same as you’re out and about driving around the region. Our drivers help people to get out and about whether that’s to work or school, a night out or a trip to the shops or doctors, so it’s a really important job and our garages are real communities in their own right with a real team spirit.”
To apply for a bus driving job at Go North East visit gonortheast.co.uk/bus-driver, or search ‘Go North East driver jobs’ online.
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