Become a Bus Driver
Go North East is looking for bus drivers. You don’t need any experience to take the wheel. Just excellent customer service skills, a passion for serving your community and an interest in a varied role where no two days are the same.
Check out our vacancies here or read on to find out more about becoming a bus driver.
What makes a good bus driver?
Although you’ll need a driving license to apply, there’s a lot more to the job than transporting people from A to B. Our drivers are at the heart of their community, meeting new people every day and getting to know their regular passengers, so you need to be a people person with a passion for great customer service.
You’ll also need to enjoy a varied routine where no two days are the same - our drivers work a rotating shift pattern and drive a range of routes.
You don’t need any bus driving experience, you’ll be paid while you train.
What will I earn as a bus driver?
Starting at £13.45 per hour after a short training period, your pay rises to £15.51 after your first year or immediately if you're an existing licence holder. You could earn over £33,000 per year with overtime.
What are the benefits of joining Go North East?
You’ll be joining a supportive training team with opportunities to develop new skills and progress in your career through internal promotion opportunities and development schemes.
All of our colleagues benefit from free travel and subsidised travel for their family, access to shopping discounts via our Hapi App, access to our Cycle to Work scheme and more.
Find out more about our perks and benefits here.
About the application process
You don’t need experience to become a bus driver – our drivers come from a variety of career backgrounds, including healthcare, armed forces, HGV drivers, customer service, TV presenters…
To apply, you’ll just need to be aged 18 or over and have held a car licence of 6 months.
Keen to start your Go North East journey? Most applicants will hear from our recruitment team within a few days of applying and you could join our Elite Training Academy within a week.
Our three-stage recruitment process:
- Submit an application form.
- If you match what we’re looking for, you’ll get a pre-screening call from our recruitment team.
If you pass the pre-screen stage, you’ll be invited to an assessment day at our Riverside depot in Gateshead. If you’re successful at the assessment day, it’s full speed ahead to our Elite Training Academy!
Our Elite Driver Academy
Our award-winning Elite Driver Academy is here to support you every step of the way as you begin your career in bus driving. We’ll provide full training, preparing you for both your theory and practical tests and giving you the confidence to succeed.
Don’t be nervous about the theory tests if you haven’t been in a classroom in a while, you’re dyslexic or English isn’t your first language. Our instructors provide a supportive environment for trainees and can adapt their sessions to suit everyone’s needs.
Our Driver Academy also covers accessibility and customer services training.
Once you have your license, you’ll be assigned a mentor at your depot to support you during the early stages of your bus driving career.
Feeling inspired? Find out more and how to apply here.