A job that many "assume is easy work" can in fact be "draining and lonely", but an Arriva bus driver would "not change a thing".
Life on the bus network has changed a lot over the years, but one thing remains the same - that people across Merseyside rely on the service. Passengers uses the buses to commute to and from work, to attend vital appointments, to make shopping trips or simply to visit their loved ones - and for driver Richard Prescott, playing a part in that is a "real privilege".
Having always wanted to be a bus driver "or a bank lady", Richard - from Runcorn - answered his calling when there were redundancies at his previous employment and he knew he had to make a change. More than 20 years on, he's "never looked back or regretted it", but - as he told the ECHO - there is "more to the job than driving a bus".
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Opening up about his employment, he said "safety is number one" with bus drivers required to have a "unique skillset" with large, complicated vehicles in different traffic and weather conditions. The job also "requires a lot of patience" and knowing how to deal with "difficult situations".
Richard said: "People look at you, sitting behind a wheel and think it's an easy job. We have new starters who say they didn't realise how intense it actually is. There's a misconception you're doing nothing all day and yes driving is easy, but it can be mentally draining.
"Our shifts range from eight to ten hours from 4am to 1am, half an hour will be your break but the rest will be driving, looking for hazards, street furniture, the size of the vehicle, it can be really intense."
Despite seeing hundreds of people a day, Richard said it can be "quite lonely", adding: "People may not want to get on the bus, but they have to so if we can say good morning and greet them with a smile it could make their day but it's nice from our perspective when people say thank you or morning to us because it can be a lonely job. We see hundreds of people a day but very few actually speak so sometimes you hope someone may want to say hello."
For many, using a bus is a "lifeline" and is often the only way people can "leave their homes", but to avoid losing routes, Richard urged more people to use the services as it is "more important than ever". He also urged customers to "show patience" as often, a bus being late is out of their control.
He told the ECHO: "It's hard enough dealing with roadworks, we know we are late and we are just as upset but we want to keep things flowing. My message is to be patient, we understand how you feel but it's not our fault."
Earlier this year, Arriva bus drivers went on strike for several weeks as they fought for a fairer pay deal. It meant no Arriva services were available anywhere in our region for close to a month. Richard said: "They went on longer than anyone anticipated and there was mixed feelings but it was an overwhelming amount of support. I feel really lucky people still choose to use our buses and backed us."
He added: "It's satisfying being able to provide that service, getting people to where they want to go safely and comfortably and yes, you do have to like driving. People only expect three things, they expect the bus to turn up on time, which we can't always influence, they want acknowledgement from the driver and the third to get to where they want to go and that isn't a big ask.
"You may be the only person someone sees that day. But one of the worst things is traffic scenarios and being late. You feel you've let the passenger down even though it's out of your control."
The ECHO has previously reported on issues with anti-social behaviour and criminal activity affecting bus routes across Merseyside, often resulting in routes being suspended or terminated. But for Richard, he said on the whole, anti-social behaviour is not as big a concern as it used to be.
This is thanks to technology advances such as additional CCTV, but aggression towards a driver is often still seen, which can be "intimidating". Richard said: "It's how people react. At this depot we try and train drivers to be able to handle different scenarios. Back in the day a driver had more control on who could get on a bus but these days, we are damned whatever we do."
For anyone wanting a career as a bus driver, Richard said you need to be flexible and know things can change at any time, such as the introduction of contactless payment which would have been "laughed at 20 years ago". More information about Arriva North West can be found here.
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