Introducing..Rhys

Rhys is an inspirational young person, working with buses to serve the community and encouraging other young people to choose the bus to build a fairer and greener Scotland

Occupation: Leading driver at First Bus

Rhys chose to work with bus because he wanted to pursue a sustainable career. He also has a channel on Tik Tok with informative videos about buses in Scotland, stories about being a bus driver and reasons why young people should pursue a career in the sustainable transport industry.

Rhys‘ story and why he loves the bus:

“My Papa was a bus driver for 36 years. I applied to be a Bus Driver on my 18th birthday, and I didn’t expect to be selected, but I got an email a week later that confirmed my application was successful. So after only being 18 for a matter of weeks I was already learning to drive a bus.

I still remember it like it was yesterday. I really loved the training experience. I remember training on my first bus and suddenly it has been almost two years that I’ve been in this job.

For the last seven months, I’ve also been working as Relief Operations Supervisor, which includes working in the control room, monitoring the traffic fleet, looking after the drivers and their shifts, and delivering the best possible service to our community members. It’s a job that offers a lot of variety. I can do different roles within the industry like driving on any of the 45 routes or doing supervisory work in the depot office.

I love my job and I love that there is always something different going on. Sometimes it’s a story of a person that you hear. Sometimes it’s something you see on the road like during the Christmas season you see all those houses decorated on the way. It’s things that grab your attention and you get a greater inner-city experience”.

A brilliant bus story…

“When I started my job, I realised that there were many people older than me and few younger people. I really wanted to see the younger generation become bus drivers. I get a very good wage and I enjoy my job, so why don’t more people of my age give it a try? Many people don’t know they can be bus drivers at such a young age. Some of my friends are already considering joining and other young people who have felt inspired.

I started making short informative videos on Tik Tok and tried to bring a bit of fun to people too, sharing what my work is about. It’s amazing how quickly the videos have blown up and so many people are engaging.

Young people have a very important role that impacts on their generations and future generations. If they choose the bus and take more cars off the streets, they are helping to build a more sustainable and cheaper travel option.