Big Bus Tours is the world’s largest operator of open-top sightseeing tours, fuelling the spirit of adventure in 21 world-famous cities across four continents. Beginning its journey 27 years’ ago, with a fleet of only three buses, Big Bus Tours has swiftly expanded to a global fleet of over 400 hundred open-top buses, turning 5 million tourists into explorers, every year. Big Bus Tours operates in London, Dubai, Hong Kong, New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, Abu Dhabi, Budapest, Istanbul, Miami, Muscat, Rome, Paris, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Darwin, Sydney, Vienna, Washington DC, Dublin and Singapore, with a sightseeing concept designed to provide a flexible approach to city discovery. Each open-top bus tour provides a hop-on, hop-off facility at a variety of interesting locations, with complimentary additions to enhance the visitor sightseeing experience. In February 2015, private equity firm Exponent purchased Big Bus Tours, with a shared vision to make Big Bus Tours the number 1 thing to do in each world-famous city. In 2016, Merlin Entertainments PLC became a shareholder, offering a natural synergy with Big Bus Tours and Merlin attractions and experiences around the world. With entertaining guides and commentary and knowledge of the latest events in each city, the Big Bus City Crew leaves every passenger with a story to tell.
Overall Purpose
The primary responsibility for ensuring the health, safety and welfare of passengers during bus tours. A Tour Bus driver should be patient and level headed in order to deal directly with Customer and members of the public – transporting passengers around our routes.
Key Areas of Accountability and Responsibility
Driving
Bus checks
Customer Service
Miscellaneous
Knowledge
Skills
Experience/Qualifications
Working Hours and Conditions
Operational times 07:00-22:00 depending on seasonal adjustments
Driving Requirements
Driving Licence
You must hold a full United Kingdom (European Communities Model) driving licence, or European equivalent, valid for the group/category of the vehicle to be driven, which you must submit to the company for inspection before driving a company vehicle. Driving licences must be carried at all times and must be available for inspection at any time whilst on duty.
In order for the company to comply with its legal obligations all drivers will be required to complete a GBG Advanced Check mandate giving permission to the company to confirm driving licence details with those details held at DVLA.
Any matter which might affect your eligibility or fitness to drive, or which may invalidate our motor vehicle insurance cover, must be reported without delay to the company. These will include penalty points, endorsements, suspension, disqualification from driving, actions/prosecutions pending, or any health conditions or treatment which might affect your fitness to drive.
Failure to provide your driving licence at the company’s request, without a valid reason, may result in disciplinary action being taken against you.
In the event that you lose your driving licence or are unable to drive for some other reason (e.g. refusal of insurance), you must make your line manager or HR aware of such circumstances immediately they arise.
Any medical condition, including taking prescribed drugs to address a medical condition, which may have an effect on your ability to drive, must be reported to management, stating the condition and drugs prescribed. We reserve the right to inform the DVLA of any such illness that may affect your licence.
Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC)
All drivers must comply with the CPC and provide their Driver’s Qualification Card when requested.
Driving Hours
Our scheduled tour buses operate under British domestic drivers’ hours’ legislation. It is the responsibility of the post holder to have knowledge of and adhere to these rules.