Kilted bus driving

**cessna152towser** · 31st July 09, 01:12 PM

As many of you already know I retired from the legal profession last October and have been doing a course with a view to obtaining a Bus Driver Certificate of Professional Competence. The course leads to an NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) level 2 and after passing all the class and theory work in Modules 1 and 2 earlier this year I moved on to Module 3 which is the practical driving. Today I passed the driving test on this old troop transport, a forty passenger Dennis Javelin which served with the British military from 1992 to 2008. This enables me to add buses to my driving licence. After my holiday I will go back and do Module 4 which deals with passenger safety and comfort and loading passenger luggage etc. Then I can look for paid driving work. I'd love to drive the Scottish tour buses but initially I'd like to gain experience by driving small local buses.

Here I have posed the bus at the border bridge over the River Sark between Scotland and England at Springfield near Gretna Green. The rail line in the background is the West Coast Main Line towards Carlisle and London (left) or towards Glasgow and Edinburgh (right)

**DesertCeltic** · 31st July 09, 01:27 PM

Congrats on passing the driving test. I am trying to talk my family into watching our four little kids so I can take the wife to Scotland and Ireland next summer. Maybe we will see you behind the wheel.

**English Bloke** · 31st July 09, 01:46 PM

Congratulations Alex. Are those old buses now? It doesn't seem so long ago that I saw them come into service. Best of luck with module four.

**Fougasse** · 31st July 09, 01:53 PM

Alex, I saw the title of this thread and knew it had to be you! Congratulations on passing your test; I have spent more time than I care to remember as a passenger on buses like that one. They used to be nicknamed "White Elephants".

**pdcorlis** · 31st July 09, 02:11 PM

Congratulations Alex - that's great news!

**GMan** · 31st July 09, 02:12 PM

Good for you, can't wait for you to drive me around.

**SFCRick** · 31st July 09, 02:36 PM

Congrats to you

**Freelancer** · 31st July 09, 02:42 PM

Congratulations and best of luck on your new venture!

**Sir William** · 31st July 09, 03:06 PM

Well done Alex! Next time I come over you'll have to show me how two of these monsters manage to pass each other on the Hawick to Newcastleton road, which as you know is only about two sheep wide in some places.