Well I have now been driving for a living for a little over 6 months and it is going well. So far I have driven virtually new cars from a Fiat 500 to a VW Sharan 2.0 TDi. The new Vauxhall Zafiras are an eye opener, so much better than the previous model, with the 1.4 twin turbo being a gas guzzler (at 34mpg) and the 1.6 CTDi being a much better bet at 48mpg while delivering roughly the same performance on the road. I'm not impressed with the lower powered versions of the Ford Fiesta but the ones delivering over 100bhp seem to move well enough.
Getting away from the cars, the mini buses are my favourites. Vauxhall Vivaro 9 seaters in basic format are disappointing as they don't have cruise control, pasking sensors or air con and even if up-spec'd to include those features their interiors ar all rubber mats and very workman like while the equivalent Ford Tourneo is a much nicer place to be with a decent stereo, carpets and better noise deadening.
Moving up to the 12, 15 and 17 seaters - most I have driven have been based on the new Ford Transit. Most have air con and the larger engined ones producing 125bhp are pokey enough for most situations and have a lovely gearbox. Handling is better on the ones with twin wheels on the rear axle but even without they are comfortable enough. I'm told that fuel consumption is roughly 27mpg but they do have a thirst for the AdBlue additive. The only feature I'm not impressed with is the anti-stall which regularly does exactly the opposite, cutting in and stalling in the most inappropriate places (often roundabouts).
And then there is the VW Crafter that is roughly 6 years old and is nearing 100,000 miles. It has had a rough old life and the driving experience reveals it's age. While the engine is strong the gearbox harks back to another age. Think Dennis 'crash' gearboxs and you're not far from the experience, which isn't a nice one. It has a low 'crawler' first gear and should normally pull from stationary in 2nd gear, but I have found it safer to use 1st and then short shift into 2nd for best results. It's a rattly old bus and frequently needs attention to keep it on the road (it is by far the least reliable bus on the fleet) but I do have a bit of a soft spot for it despite everything.
While the 9 seaters can be driven without a digital tachograph (Driver Card) anything bigger requires one. Obtaining one was straight forward, quick and painless. Getting used to using one is a bit hit and miss. A couple of times I have left it in the minibus at the end of the job and had to make a trip to fetch it back and return it to my wallet. And of course, you have to observe driving hours rules which can be a pain. Still, it adds a bit of spice and interest to those longer trips. Day trips to central London in the 9 seater is quicker on the dreary motorways but urban driving has to be done outside the bus lanes and is therefore a pain. In the bigger minibuses the motorway sections are a drag at 100kmph / 62mph but urban driving using bus lanes is a boon, except for those that are marked 'local buses' which for me are a no go area.
Jobs have been pretty plentiful with February through to May being good but I'm never going to get rich doing it. June has been a bit quiet but July and August are looking as if they will be very quiet with jobs few and far between - only time will tell but June and July together aren't looking as good as May was, hence no blog posts since April as I was kept pretty busy. Still, at least I get more "me time", which I will cover in a later post.
