11th time lucky for Paul!

Adam Hewitt • Published 3 Jun 2010 16:30 2 Comments

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Paul will soon be on the buses

A PROFESSIONAL driver who has been made redundant 10 times has never let bad luck get him down.

Paul Nunn, the latest recruit at Reading Buses' Training Academy, had his first day on Tuesday and The Chronicle will be following his progress as he learns the ropes.

The former direct salesman, lorry driver, beer delivery man, qualified driving instructor and dustcart driver wanted to learn to drive buses, but struggled to find a company able to teach him. When he found Reading Transport did its own training, he was prepared to pay them for the privilege.

But that was not how it turned out.

The 45-year-old said: "A chat turned into an interview and before I knew it I had a letter in the post offering me a job. I can't wait - it's the last part of the driving industry I haven't been involved in. I've done an awful lot of driving in my life."

The initial training takes about five weeks, before drivers fly solo in midibuses, then progress onto single-deckers and eventually the double-deckers and the flagship route 17.

Paul (pictured) said: "I can only see public transport getting more and more important. Having done the test and exams to become a driving instructor, well, if I can do that I'm sure I can do this.

"I've handled big vehicles before and worked in sales with lots of customer experience. I haven't caught the buses all that often, but when I have they've been new and modern and clean.

"The drivers have been good and polite. It doesn't take anything to put a smile on your face!"

He said the best training course he had ever done was one teaching how to deal with "difficult, dangerous and disturbed" people.

He added: "I'm hoping not to encounter too many of those, though obviously there are going to be irate customers from time to time; everyone has a bad day now and again."

Academy team leader Mick Hughes said: "Paul has now begun his training programme with a mixture of driving and theory and will be sitting his theory test next Thursday. The training programme takes approximately five weeks from start to finish.

"Once all tests have been passed Paul will then continue his driver development training which includes route and vehicle familiarization. Paul will then enter service with a 'Driver Buddy' for the first week of his new career with Reading Transport."

- PAUL was born and grew up in London but moved to Reading at age 11, before settling in Gloucester Avenue, Shinfield in 2006. He loves fishing and West Ham, and has two sons.

He worked in direct sales before moving into the haulage industry in 1997, and in 2000 joined the Berkshire Brewery at Worton Grange. At first he produced the beer but soon moved back into driving, delivering kegs to pubs across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and Oxfordshire.

He said: "I saw so many people getting injured doing that job; those kegs could weigh maybe 25 stone and you're carrying them up slopes, down slopes, everywhere. It's back-breaking work."

He qualified as a driving instructor in 2004 but never made a business out of it, then started work for Reading Borough Council in 2007.

He said: "I'm ambitious and a bit impatient and didn't feel my career was going anywhere with the council. I'm looking forward to a change in direction and not working too far from home."

Have your say. Post a comment on this article.

JW
Unregistered User
Jun 3, 22:18
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Why waste money training drivers when theres all ready pcv drivers out there looking for work.Are Reading Buses trying to save money or waste it.

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charles
Unregistered User
Jun 5, 12:42
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Good question JW, but this guy sounds nice enough! Is it all to do with what they'd be willing to pay? Or is it a reputational thing about keeping the Academy going?

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