(03 Sep 2022, 8:46 pm)Adrian wrote I don't always agree with you, but I think in terms of route learning, you can only teach someone a route a limited amount of time in advance of them doing it. There's no point in doing it 3 months prior to the move, because most drivers will have forgotten it having not driven it for the 3 months that follow.
You can only lead a horse to water too. I know if I'm working on something I'm unfamiliar with, I make it my business to work out what I need to be doing. As above though, when you have the morale issues that exist in the bus industry, you're not going to get that same level of buy-in of people wanting to go over and above... after all, it's the operator's responsibility to roster a service with drivers that know the route.
I know when Crook was closed and the X21 was transferred to CLS, I did see drivers a few times sitting upstairs at the front taking notes. Not sure whether this was a thing they were doing in their own time as they were wearing their uniform, or whether it was a part of the route learning by GNE, but it seemed like a pretty good idea to me.
I often wonder, when drivers are learning the route, are they told alternative ways like if a road is closed, or if they make a wrong turn how to get back on to the route?