THE RICHT OR THE RICHT MEN
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At London Transport's Recruitment and Training Centre at Chiswick, Drivers and Conductors are enrolled at the rate of ISO to 200 a Week
With the Accent on the Slogan "Courtesy Aids Service," Recruits in Their Training are Impressed with the Importance of the Passengers' Safety and Comfort
IF Mr. Shinwell he worried about the progress of his, recruiting campaign for the Armed Forces, he could, by a stretch of imagination, place some of the blame at the door of the London Transport Executive. It is but a short ride on a train from Westminster to Gunnersbury, but if the Minister cared to make this journey, and at Chiswick called at the London Transport Recruitment and Training Centre, he would learn that every week approximately'1,000 young and fit men pass through the doors of that establishment. They are all looking for jobs with the
Executive.
Most of these 1,000 applicants hope to become drivers or con ductors, but by no means all of them are successful. Since the end of the war new staff has been recruited at the rate of about 150 to 200 a week, and with refresher and promotion courses always in progress, the training side of the centre's activities is kept working at full pressure.
In 1946 the Executive recruited 428 drivers and 12,804 conductors; in 1947, 735 drivers and 7,291 conductors; and in the first half of this year, 214 drivers and 3,193 conductors. Despite these heavy commitments, the standard of training is maintained at the high level necessat'y for the men who uphold London Transport's world-wide reputation for courtesy and efficiency
Every applicant, no matter in which part of London he makes his first inquiry, is sent to the centre at Chiswick. Interviewers are provided with special forms on which to record their assessment of the applicant— his appearance, physique, personality, and temperament. As a general rule an age limit of 40 is applied, but this is not rigid and applicants are accepted over this age if they are considered to be suitable
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The qualificationfor a new driver is three years' current experience of driving heavy goods vehicles, although here, again, the rule is not applied too rigidly. Conductors must not be more than 5 ft. 10 ins, in height or less than 5 ft. 4 ins. Drivers must not be less than 5 ft. 7 ,ins. Apart from that, the standards are fairly general, and as most of the applicants are ex-servicemen, very few fail to pass their medical.
All the pitfalls of the work are made clear at the outset. The applicant is told about the shift-work, irregular hours, the early starting and late finishing. He is asked if he has discussed these things with his wife; this is important, because London
Transport fully appreciates that an unhappy home life will adversely affect that serene temperament which is so essential to the busman. The conductor is left in no doubt that his working time will be spent on his feet. Every day he will collect many pounds in fares, and he will be responsible for the safety and correct accounting of this money.
If he be found satisfactory by the interviewer, the recruit goes straight off for his medical examination, and from there to the allocation section, where he is told when to report for the start of the training course and to which depot he is to be posted. All new recruits go to the centre at Chiswick on the first day of the course. There they receive their uniforms, meet the instructors, and are officially welcomed to London Transport. I made my visit to the centre on a Monday, which at Chiswick is given the familiar title of "intake day." Up to -150 men report on this day for enrolment. Across in the clothing store there was none of the atmosphere that these men had known on the day they were issued Ath their first battle-dress, although they had all
brought little bags for the " civvies " that they were taking off. Each conductor was given one winter suit and one summer suit, and the drivers, in addition, a winter overcoat and dust coat for summer use. In normal times they get replacements every year, but at ' present they have to keep these uniforms neat and tidy for two years.
Out of the clothing store, the trainees formed a selfconscious procession to an assembly hall for the final documentation and official welcome. They were a mixed bag; some single, some married, some in their early twenties, and others with thinning hai,r and the solid deportment of the established family man.
Stimulation of Interest The training course for a conductor in the Central Bus Services is of 14 days' duration-51 days in the classroom, If days in practical instruction and seven days on the road under one of the 750 specially trained conductor-instructors. This 14 days is not given over wholly to teaching him the mechanics of the job. He learns much about London Transport—its history and traditions. Everything is done to make him feel that he is "one of us" in the Executive. The accent is on the stimulation of intereSt in the job of looking after the "customer," rather than on the technical details, in which he soon becomes proficient.
Demonstrations are arranged to show now necessary it is for him to be able to adapt himself to the changing conditions on a route; how he will have to be something of a diplomat, philosopher and psychologist rolled into one This part of his training, perhaps the most important, is put over by men who have had many years' experience of handling London's hurrying millions; men who have been drivers or conductors, usually both, for 25 or 30 years.
A Ready Answer The trainee is encouraged to talk as much as possible, preferably of his reaction to a particular situation; if necessary, about himself. He must always have a ready answer for any kind of question and from all types of passenger, and the more he becomes used to the sound of his own voice during the training period, the quicker will he settle down on the road. He soon learns that the inspector is not put on the route to catch him out. He is there to guide and advise the new man and to help him handle any situation, difficult or otherwise, that might arise.
For all this, however, it is impossible to teach the conductor everything about the human side of his new job That can come only from experience.
During the two weeks' training period he is paid 10s. 10d. a day. He then serves a three months' probationary period at the rate of £5 19s. a week. At the end of six months he gets an increase of 2s. a week, and a similar increase is made every succeeding six months until he is drawing the top rate of £6 5s. a week.
To those who join London Transport with the object of making it their career, the opportunities of promotion are explained in detail during the course, The trainee soon learns -that advancement depends entirely on his own efforts, but the ever-changing staff position provides him with ample opportunity. First, he must establish himself in his own garage and with the road and depot staff.
For conductors, the first step is to apply for a driver's course. If he has the necessary physical standards he is given every opportunity to attain this position. Next, he must impress his immediate superiors with his own efficiency as a potential official before he can be HIS accepted for an inspector's course—the first important step on the promotion ladder From inspector he can become a district or depot inspector, and so on up to the rank of district superintendent, or even higher.
New drivers and conductors on promotion are given much the same course of driver training. The new men are given a preliminary test as soon as they have been accepted by the interviewer and passed their medical examination. The examiners look for such things as accident proneness, position on the road, and the attention which is paid to the movement of other vehicles. The last-named point is considered to be particularly important, because, with the accent on the safety of his passengers, the bus driver is always expected to give full consideration to other road users. Safety first and courtesy are, in fact, the keynote of the driver's training, Having satisfied the examiners that he is capable of reaching the London Transport standard of efficiency, • the driver is then told to forget all he has previously learnt about the job. The staff at the training centre will teach him an entirely new method of approach. The training course lasts up to 30 days, and in that time he is expected to become proficient in the handling of two standard types of bus, plus any particular type that may be-operated at the garage from which he will be working.
Technical Training for Drivers
Although he is not expected to be a skilled engineer, he is given sufficient technical training to enable him to diagnose engine faults. A correctly diagnosed and quickly reported defect is, of course, essential on routes on which the headway is stretched out.
The classrooms at Chiswick are equipped with the latest training devices. Complete engine units and main components are sectioned for demonstration purposes, and the use of that ingenious device called the Synchrophone gives the novice an excellent illustration of the operation of some of the working parts.
• The training programme is arranged to give the student an approximately equal amount of classwork and practical driving instruction. A driving-progress report is started at the commencement of the course and the instructor's comments are filled in after every spell on the road, The instructors are thus able to keep track of any weakness of the trainee upon which to concentrate, and to submit his name for the test as soon as he is considered ready for it
, London Transport's examiners all hold the Ministry of Transport certificate and the final test is always carried out over a period of not less than 40 mins., and then mainly in heavy London traffic. Those who fail the test are not always turned down immediately. In some cases a man may have up to three tests before he finally qualifies, and to do so he must impress the examiner with his ability to drive his bus confidently and safely so as to give his passengers a cornfoi table ride.
The new driver is not forgotten when he starts work at his garage. Mechanical inspectors take a ride with the customers" during his first few months at the wheel, and here again the object is not to catch the driver out. At the end of such a journey the inspector always makes himself known to the new driver and gives him any help or advice that is considered necessary.
If anything, I should say it is this looking after the new man, this building-up of good comradeship and team spirit, that has given London Transport the reputation which its 100,000 employees guard. During his training everything is done to make the new recruit feel that the maintenance of this reputation is his personal responsibility That he does so when he has passed out and is on the road on his own, none of those who travel with him daily can have the slightest doubt.
The Recruitment and Training Centre at Chiswick is doing a fine job of work, both for the Executive and its millions of customers.