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• The SL8 will be the first bus route to become part of the proposed Superloop express bus network
• Buses on the route, which is currently route 607, will call at the same stops as now, but some bus stop names will change to better reflect their locations
• Timetable will be extended to provide more early morning and evening services from 19 August

Route 607 between Uxbridge and White City will be renumbered SL8 and rebranded into to become the first part of the proposed Superloop tomorrow (Saturday 15 July) to offer customers an instantly recognisable express bus service in west London.
The timetable for SL8 will be extended to provide more early morning and evening buses from 19 August. Other improvements, including improved customer information and USB charging, will also follow.

Buses on the route will call at the same stops as now, but some of the bus stop names will change to better reflect their locations, such as The Grapes, which will become Hayes / The Grapes.

Louise Cheeseman, Director of Buses at TfL said: “The newly numbered and branded SL8 will provide people in outer London an instantly recognisable express bus route helping to make it easier to choose a sustainable travel option. I urge customers who are used to seeing the 607 to give the SL8 a try.”

Sean O’Shea, CEO at Metroline said: “Metroline is delighted to be the first Bus company in London to operate one of the new Superloop services. This launch marks a milestone in further improving transport links in outer London and our team at Greenford Garage are proud to play their part delivering route SL8 of the Superloop.”

TfL is working to ensure customers are informed of the changes, with branded posters and timetables being placed at bus stops and bus stations plus updated spider maps. Regular users of the routes have received two emails ahead of the changes taking place.

For more information about the proposed Superloop express bus network, please visit https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/how-we-work/planning-for-the-future/outer-london-transport#on-this-page-1

It was a successful night for Metroline at the London Bus Awards 2023, hosted by Transport for London, with 6 shortlisted nominees across 5 categories, and 1 winner at the end of the night. Congratulations to David Gharu from Uxbridge Garage on winning the Award for Actions above and beyond the call of duty , and a special well done to all Metroline nominees who were shortlisted finalists: Chuyen Chan and Wolfang Chindamo (Outstanding Customer Service), Ancuta-Raluca Tilihoi (Outstanding Newcomer), Mehmet Boluk (Accessibility Champion) and the Willesden Junction Garage team (Best Vehicle Care).

David Gharu is one of Uxbridge garage’s most respected drivers, and no stranger to going above and beyond to ensure the best service for customers. Since 2006, Mr Gharu has demonstrated exemplary service, receiving a 100% score on multiple BCES assessments.

This commitment to service also extends to situations where people are in need. This was the case on one October night in 2022, where Mr Gharu witnessed a young woman in a vulnerable situation and made the split second decision to do what he could as a bus driver to help.

A witness said “My mate was on the bus around 11:30pm, when the driver noticed a car trying to call a young woman at the bus stop into the car, the woman looked scared outside and the bus driver told the women to get on the bus so she was safe making sure she went somewhere with loads of lights. My friend was really amazed with how this bus driver reacted to this situation. Anything could have happened to this woman if this bus driver didn’t help this young woman with his quick thinking and kind helpfulness, he then drove the woman into town so she was somewhere well lit, this driver was absolutely amazing and I think he deserves praise. I personally believe this driver was really amazing.”

This would not be the last time Mr Gharu would go above and beyond. One night in May 2023, he would assist an off-duty Police officer in helping a wheelchair user in need.

The Police Officer recalled “…a wheelchair-man boarded. I noticed that he had no shoes on and one foot was bandaged. As the bus continued its route, I noticed that the wheelchair-bound man’s foot had begun to bleed onto the floor. I engaged with the man, who was clearly drunk, as I was concerned for his health. I then asked the bus driver , Mr Gharu, to stop at the Hillingdon Hospital stop, as I believed the man needed to go to hospital. When Mr Gharu got out from his seat to see what I was talking about, the man left a streak of blood on the floor, alarming us both. Mr Gharu then demonstrated a clear understanding of what he could do to help, making contact with his control to request an ambulance… I then decided to get some first aid supplies from the nearby hospital and was completely confident that I could leave the bleeding man under Mr Gharu’s supervision while I was away. Mr Gharu then demonstrated great problem-solving by contacting a colleague who spoke Polish to help facilitate communication with the man… London Ambulance Service attended and took over, after which I departed… He is extremely reliable and his composure in such an unexpected incident is something to be greatly proud of.”

Speaking about Mr Gharu, Garage Manager Stavros Heracleous said, “Very proud of David’s superb actions. A true gentleman who didn’t hesitate to intervene in this incident, which had a positive impact.”

Congratulations again to Mr Gharu and well done to the other nominees.

 

 

We love our drivers so much we’ll be featuring them on our new recruitment campaign, highlighting the benefits of working for Metroline!

Whether you are looking for a job that lets you save up for a house, has the flexibility to let you look after the kids, or just aren’t ready to retire yet, becoming a Bus Driver with Metroline can work for you.

You can earn up to £36,000 in your first year, work flexible shifts, take advantage of part-time and overtime opportunities, and gain access to range of benefits including free Bus and Tube travel for you and one other as well receiving access to the largest employee discount scheme in the world.

Find out more by checking out our Driver Recruitment Page here: https://www.metroline.co.uk/recruitment/drivers/

Interested in driving for Metroline? We have a host of Recruitment open day events coming to several Bus Garages in February! This is a great opportunity to find out what it takes to be a London bus driver, and to ask our drivers and trainers what to expect.

Find out the dates at our Recruitment Open Days page here.

For Fast-Track progression, please have your Valid Passport, Valid UK driving licence and National insurance number available on the day.

Benefits of working at Metroline include:

• Paid training to get your PCV licence worth over £6k
• Salary starting from £13.88 per hour depending on your shift pattern and pro-rata for part time hours
• Current PCV license holders could start on £17.22 per hour depending on experience
• Company Pension
• Free Bus and Tube travel for you and one other*
• Health & Wellbeing Programme
• Childcare Vouchers
• Opportunities for overtime
• Full time and part time opportunities available
• Employee Benefit Scheme
• 24 hour Employee support line
• Cycle2Work scheme
• Free Uniform
• Company Sick Pay Scheme

* free travel pass is provided by TfL and is subject to terms and conditions

Bravo to team Metroline for a great evening at the UK Bus Awards! Congratulations to Wolfgang Chindamo on winning the silver prize in the Luke Rees-Pulley Award for Top London Bus Driver, and well done to Kolawole Obasa on receiving a Special Commendation for Outstanding Service in the Unsung Heroes category.

Wolfgang Chindamo is one of Metroline’s best drivers for customer service. Wolfgang started with the company on 12th May 2003 following a career in hospitality. Bringing with him his excellent customer service skills, in the nearly 20 years since he started, Wolfgang has consistently maintained a very good ethos toward the role and more specifically his customers. One customer who travelled on Wolfgang’s bus wrote: “You [sic] driver was first class smiling, polite and happy. Kept all passengers informed of any delays and was willing to answer any questions. Especially on a Sunday as services are limited. So refreshing to see and hear one passenger say what time he was returning back so she could get back on his bus and so many people say thanks and waving bye. Says so much about this driver his manner [sic] is exceptional.”

Kolawole ‘Kola’ Obasa is an exemplary employee and a supervisor that is known for his politeness and professionalism. Kola started his career at Metroline in a passenger facing role as a customer assistant on the iconic New Routemaster Buses in 2013 before transferring his excellent customer service skills to the Garage Administration Supervisor role at Kings Cross garage. Kola has a reputation among his colleagues as a great team player with excellent timekeeping and attendance record. He goes the extra mile to promote, support and ensure the administration of the garage is carried out timely and efficiently. He will always give 100% regardless of recognition and takes real pride in everything he does at all times. He is always willing to help on both sides of the counter and is someone his colleagues, drivers and management can rely on.

Also nominated for Top London Bus Driver at the UK Bus Awards were Aliya Aleskerova and Porpin ‘Poppy’ Owusu, both from Greenford garage.

Aliya Aleskerova is one of best and brightest Bus drivers of Metroline’s  Greenford Garage. Starting at the garage in 2013, Aliya quickly joined the route 282 after completing her training, and has remained there ever since. Aliya is well known for her extremely positive attitude towards to her work and to her route 282 passengers. She enjoys interacting with many of the passengers on a personal basis; a rapport, that has been built over the years through exceptional customer service. As a result, she has come to know many of the regular passengers who use her bus, many of whom have been responsible for the praise she has received over the years.

Poppy Owusu is a much-loved driver at Metroline’s Greenford garage, known as much for her excellent customer service as she is for commendable driving skills. Joining Metroline as a new driver in 2013 following a 14 year role in the food hall of a world-renowned store in Knightsbridge in central London, it didn’t take long for her to take to the job, as she brought with her the excellent customer service skills she had learnt in her previous role. When Poppy transitioned to bus driving the role was easy, and she was able to utilise those customers skills with her bus passengers.

Finally, Metroline’s Uxbridge garage was nominated for Top London Bus Garage. Uxbridge is Metroline’s jewel in the crown for outstanding performance, top of many TfL and internal league tables and the garage of choice for many new staff who look forward to working here. We are the main operator in the Uxbridge area and deliver services to a much wider area.

Congratulations to all of the nominees!

On October 21 2022, garages across Metroline took part in WearItPink day to help raise money for Breast Cancer Now and fund vital research and care that will help those affected by breast cancer. Local depots held bake sales and sold sweets to raise money and we even had a pink bus travelling between garages!

In total, a fantastic £2,200.88 was raised for essential Breast Cancer research and care. Well done to all of our Metroline colleagues who raised a brilliant amount for an important cause.

 

 

Interested in driving for Metroline? We have a host of Recruitment open day events coming to Edgware Bus Garage over the coming weeks! This is a great opportunity to find out what it takes to be a London bus driver, and to ask our drivers and trainers what to expect.

Find out the dates at our Recruitment Open Days page here.

For Fast-Track progression, please have your Valid Passport, Valid UK driving licence and National insurance number available on the day.

Benefits of working at Metroline include:

• Retail & leisure discounts
• Salary starting from £28K to £36K depending on shift pattern and pro-rata for part time hours
• Company Pension & Sick Pay
• Full and part time opportunities
• Opportunities for overtime
• Free Bus and Tube travel for you and one other
• Childcare Vouchers
• Life assurance cover
• Paid training to get your PCV  licence worth over £6k
• Free Uniform

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Our thoughts and condolences are with His Majesty the King and the Royal Family.

Her Majesty gave 70 years of dedicated service to the country and the Commonwealth, providing stability over decades of change around the world.

Queen Elizabeth also made many visits, including to Metroline’s Willesden Garage during her Golden Jubilee year in 2002.

Valiben, a Metroline bus driver who saw the Queen’s visit to Metroline and still works at the garage said: ‘I was truly honoured to be chosen and have the opportunity to meet the Queen during her visit to the Willesden Metroline bus garage in 2002. Farewell to such a truly remarkable and inspiring woman. May her soul rest in eternal peace.’

She will be missed by many across the world.

Congratulations to Marian Wudu on winning the Garage Hero (other) award at the London Bus Awards! Taking place on 14th July 2022, Marian won the award for her fantastic work keeping her Garage running during the height of the 2020 pandemic.

As the United Kingdom went into lockdown in March 2020 and the outbreak worsened in April 2020, Metroline’s Alperton garage experienced a significant drop in staff attendance.  It was during such a time that Marian stepped up to the challenge. With her can-do attitude, she took on extra responsibilities by doubling up as a Garage Administration Supervisor (GAS) and Mileage Clerk to support ad hoc business requirements such as scheduling the redeployment of GAS, who were able to drive, on the roads. To maximise mileage and prevent staff cuts, Marian ensured the right number of drivers were deployed to work overtime and paid accordingly.

Despite these extra responsibilities, Marian never missed the deadlines for her work as a Missing Trip Verification Clerk. She continued to maintain high standards with zero errors in her reports. Even when she was offered the option to work from home, Marian chose instead to work in office so as to better support the garage.

Her passion for her role did not stop there. She would often volunteer her help on weekends and evenings to ensure the continued smooth operations of the garage during the pandemic, such was her dedication.

Congratulations on the well deserved recognition Marian!

Want to find out what it is like to work for Metroline? You won’t just have one opportunity but two with our Recruitment Open Days at our Harrow Weald and Potters Bar sites taking place this month!

Come in and have a chat with our friendly Recruitment Team to find out all the benefits of joining Metroline.

Taking place at Harrow Weald on Thursday 23rd June  and at Potters Bar on Tuesday 28th June from 9.30AM to 2PM.

Visit our Recruitment Open Days page for the latest updates.

** Updated 17 February 2022**

Following an unsustainable decline in passenger numbers, Metroline have notified Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) that we will be deregistering route 84. This decision was not taken lightly and we have tried to try find viable solutions to maintain the service in some form.

We introduced a number of initiatives to stabilise passenger numbers, including investing in new ticket machines to offer convenient contactless payment options and revised timetables. Unfortunately, Covid-19 totally undermined our plans and has had a detrimental effect on the amount of people using the service.  This is compounded by operating costs significantly increasing.  We have been in communication with HCC whilst investigating the options, and with no support available at the level required, this route is no longer sustainable.

Discussions between HCC and other bus operators have resulted in Sullivan Buses registering a partial replacement service between Potters Bar and St Albans. Further details can be viewed on their website www.sullivanbuses.com.

HCC and Transport for London are still in discussions regarding providing any replacement service between Potters Bar and Barnet.

Metroline would like to apologise for the inconvenience this change will cause but would thank customers for their support in using the service over the years.