KENNY IPEK, Driver With Bus Éireann
I HAVE WORKED for Bus Éireann for eight years. I’m from northern Turkey and my wife is from Galway. We met in London and moved over here.
I’m a spare driver, which means I take the route for anyone who is sick or late or on holiday. It means I don’t know in the morning where I’m heading but I like the variety. I spent five and a half years on the Galway-to-Dublin road, and I like this much better.
My start time is anywhere from 5.30am to 7.30am, and I report to the depot to find out where I’m going.
Because I’ve a bit of seniority I can choose which one I want. If there’s no route to take I sit in the staff room and watch TV and slag the other drivers about the GAA. I’m officially a Mayo man because that’s where I live, and there’s great rivalry.
The depot is state of the art and eco friendly and only opened eight months ago. If I’m there at lunch I’ll cook a meal and if I’m in on a Sunday morning I’ll cook a full Irish for the other drivers.
My favourite route is out to Clifden. I love the Maam Cross, it’s very beautiful.
When you’re doing different routes every day you don’t get to know the customers but some very rural routes have regulars and it’s nice to see them.
When I first started I used to get a bit of abuse from people about not being Irish but then the EU expanded and that stopped.
The worst thing about bus driving is the other drivers on the road. Whenever I approach a junction someone will always pull out in front of the bus. People seem to hate the idea of being behind a bus, but it’s very dangerous.
I don’t get worked up about it though. I leave that to the guards. You have to be pretty calm to be a bus driver. I used to be an executive driver in London. I drove for Mylene Klass and Craig David.
I never get bored driving a bus, I enjoy the scenery and, because of bus lanes, I’m rarely stuck in traffic. I never understand how people will sit in a traffic jam for ages in a car rather than take a bus and zip past, but people get very attached to their cars. On my days off I try not to use my car, I prefer to walk or take public transport.
- In conversation with Sandra O'Connell