New Driver Orientation: Millfield Bus Depot

Your first days

Welcome to Millfield Bus Depot. Before you take a bus out on your own, you will spend three days with a driver trainer learning our routes and the way the depot works. This guide describes the layout of the depot so that you can find your way around safely. Buses move in and out of the depot at all hours, so you must stay on the marked footpaths whenever you are outside a building.

Signing on

Staff enter the depot on foot through the pedestrian gate in the south-west corner, beside Station Road. The first building you reach is the duty office, which is just inside the gate. This is where you sign on before each shift, collect your ticket machine and check any changes to your route. The duty manager is based here and is the person to contact if you are running late or are unwell. East of the duty office is the staff car park, which has spaces for around sixty cars.

Cycling to work

Staff who cycle to work should leave their bicycles in the cycle shelter, in the south-east corner beyond the staff car park. It is covered and has lockers for helmets and waterproofs. Bicycles must not be left against buildings or fences anywhere else in the depot.

Maintenance areas

In the centre of the depot are the inspection pits, where engineers examine buses from underneath. Never walk across the pits area unless an engineer has given permission. To the west of the inspection pits, against the western fence, is the tyre store. On the other side of the pits, by the eastern fence, is the parts store, where engineers collect spare mirrors, wipers and lights. If you notice a fault on your bus, report it on the defect card and hand it in at the duty office rather than going to the stores yourself.

Fuel and washing

At the end of each shift, drive your bus to the fuel island in the north-west corner and fill the tank. Then drive east to the bus wash, which is next to the fuel island along the northern boundary. Buses must go through the wash at least once every two days. Finally, park your bus in the parking lanes, which take up the rest of the north side of the depot. Always park in the lane shown on the board and leave the keys in the box at the duty office.

Safety rules

High-visibility jackets must be worn whenever you are outside. Do not use your phone while walking through the depot, and never walk behind a bus that has its engine running. The speed limit for buses inside the depot is five miles per hour.