Moving on

Well of course we all have to move on even after that horrible crash. For some time I did not even want to drive a bus but in the end I just got on with it. The job remained the same and I worked the bus station as normal and the radio control and checked tickets.

The piss taking carried on and what could I do? As I have said you just have to take it. Not that I did not bite back of course. Words and sarcasm have been tools of mine all my adult life and those who gave it out got some of it back. It died down of course a bit but even over 20 years later there are still those that remember it and have the occasional joke at my expense.

About 12 months later the nature of the job that I do changed for the rest of my working life here on Cardiff Bus. I had taken an interest in the depot side of the job for some time and got the chance to make it permanent. I will put something here so that perhaps it is somewhat easier to understand the nature of the job I do now.

Driver's start anywhere in the morning from 04.09 am to 08.00 am in the depot at Leckwith and then later in the day in the town area in Wood St from about 08.30 to 16.30. There has to be a supervisor to sign them on and that supervisor would give out overtime if there is any to be worked,(and there usually is) and if a driver failed to turn up for some reason or phoned in sick he or she has to find a replacement.

We would also make up the sign on sheets, pay the overtime, arrange lieu days and holidays and other things. All in all it is a very busy job. It must be in the blood because my father had done the job before he retired. I took an interest in it and was shown the ropes by Dave Morgan who I had become friendly with over the years. He was getting to the end of his time and showed the young inspector what to do.

When he opted for early retirement the only person who really had knowledge of the job was me. In those days of course experience and knowledge took priority not having a good interview and some paper qualifications like it seems to be today.

So I took on the job that was to last me over 20 years. We were called until a few years ago the Allocations group and I started as a member of a small team. This has expanded over the years as the job has got more complicated. More later over that.

Was I perfect from the start? Of course not, who is? But I picked up more knowledge as the weeks and months passed and learned who you could rely on to work overtime or come in on time and who you could not. There is a knack to dealing with people and I hope that over the years I have learned this skill. I was told by some of the older drivers that I was much like my father in dealing with staff and I will take that as a great compliment.