I'm going to go down memory lane for tonights posting, I am going to tell you about the passing of my PCV licence and the adventures that followed. It seems a very long time ago, but in reality only 7 years ago.
Those that know me will vouch that I am always had an interest, well passion, sod it lets push the boat out and call it an obscession, with buses and coaches, going back to the days when I was a small kid, running round the school playground pretending to be Bartons bus. My interest in these days was an awareness of different types of buses. This developed from an earlier interest in motor vehicles in general. anyway I digress.
This interest stayed with all through my school days, in to my college days and eventually helped me start my career. It led me to buying shares in several classic buses, but that is another story for another time, after the therapy, no only joking.
Anyway, I had switched employers to commence driver training and on my first proper days training I was taken out in a single deck service bus. I took to it like duck to water, going through the semi automatic gearbox. We were swopping buses over, as Bellamy's operated out of 2 depots, some buses were parked up in Bestwood. The coach we took back was VJI which was a gearbox coach. They wanted to see if I was good enough to put straight to class 1 licence. After a few fluffed gear changes I got used to the coach and the gearbox.
It was decided to put me through for stickbox licence. After a few weeks I was put through for test, after passing my theory test and the then new Hazard perception exam. So adrenaline was flowing on this first day. However I failed the test. Infact I was to have 5 goes at the test.
My penultimate test was comical, I had a gentleman called Ian Wright, who was strict but fair. I went forward to doing the reversing exercise, and disaster stuck I clipped a cone. I let out a load of expletives as I had been building myself up and was getting very frustrated. I had spent the night worrying about the test which is not a good thing to do. Ian Wright came to the front of the coach and said"judging by the language coming from the cab area, you know you have already failed, we can do two things either park up, or we will go for a drive under test conditions and I will tell you where you are going wrong". He was well aware that I wanted the licence so much, and I suspect he secretly wanted me to pass. We did the test and had a chat about my failings, which really was down to nerves, rather than incompetance.
My fifth atempt came. I had been ordered to not think about buses, I had gone to the pub, with my dad and brother. I was also given some Kalms which I took before I went to bed, I actually had a good nights sleep that night. Anyway the next morning dawned. We arrived at Watnall test station, the test commenced and you've guessed it I passed. when we got back to Watnall the examiner told me I was successful and I felt like the kid who wanted the trainset and also got the scalextric. We got back, Robert drove the coach back. Once back at the yard, I was allocated my bus for the afternoon, and I was driving a load of kids from the American adventure to Bramcote Hills school. To say it was nerve racking is an understatment. It dawned to me when I looked up in the mirror and saw lots of faces looking back, well that how it seemed. Luckily Robert was with me. Saw I passed the test in the morning and did my first job in the afternoon, what a day.
It was the following day I did my first journey alone, which happened to be a school run, and the the very last journey of the school year, talk about deepend learning, By the end of the week i was doing my first long distance job, a journey from Sheffield to the Global gathering event at Long Marsden. A week later I was Going to Knebworth for the famous concert with Robbie Williams. Since those days I have travelled many miles and travelled all over the country. There are many repeatable tales and many unrepeatable ones too. So there you go the story of a special day in my life. More from your non conformist friend very soon
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