Intercity Bus and Coach Driver - Edinburgh

Ember; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

£17.50 per hour starting rate.

£18.30 per hour after one year

£18.90 per hour as Ember Ambassador

Overtime from £21.00 per hour

Free CPC renewal

28 days paid annual holiday pro rata

Flexible annual leave

Up to 10 days unpaid leave pro rata

20 days paid leave for sickness

Job summary

Ember is recruiting drivers for Edinburgh to support a growing electric coach network across Scotland. You will operate intercity services and city centre legs, delivering a high-quality passenger experience with proactive problem solving and clear communication.

This role offers a 24/7 service model with varied shifts, opportunities for overtime, and a focus on safety, reliability, and customer satisfaction.

Qualifications

• Excellent customer service and clear communication are essential.
• Safe driving with smooth braking and attention to safety.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, customer-facing environment.

Responsibilities

• Drive state-of-the-art electric coaches on intercity routes across Scotland and city centre legs in Edinburgh.
• Provide on-the-ground operational support and be the main contact for customers when issues arise.
• Coordinate with Operations to maintain Ember's quality standards and on-time performance.
• Take pride in vehicle cleanliness and passenger experience, including helping with bags when needed.
• Be proactive, flexible, and willing to learn new systems and processes.

Skills

Customer service

Safety driving

Communication

Job description

Ember is the UK's first fully-electric, zero-emission coach company. We launched in October 2020 and are now running multiple routes across Scotland, from the busy central belt to the Highlands and Aberdeenshire.

We're looking for the very best and most eager drivers across Scotland to join the Ember team. Whether you have a passion for electric vehicles or simply for great customer service, we'd love to hear from you. We'll be growing a pioneering team in Edinburgh to underpin our many connections into the capital, and it's really important to us that we find people who are truly motivated to be a key part of a company that is proving that things can be done differently.

We're a fast growing company with a track record of success, so this is an exciting time to join the future of public transport!

Responsibilities

The driver role in Edinburgh is uniquely varied at Ember, at least so far. Some days you may be driving full Intercity services across Scotland, while on others you may be driving our passengers across the key Edinburgh city centre legs at the start and end of their journeys while our drivers from further afield take their break at Ember's Edinburgh facility before setting off back north.

We're looking for solution-oriented people who are resourceful, clear-thinking and great communicators.

As a driver, you're on the front-line. Not only will you be responsible for keeping the coach moving, you'll also provide on the ground operational support, which means having outstanding communication and organisational skills, proactivity to solve problems when there are delays and acting as the main point of contact for customers if they have any issues or need help. When things on the roads get busy, you'll be thinking one step ahead and will be working super closely with our Operations team to make sure that Ember's commitment to quality is always met.

This is a role for someone who is already at the top of their game as a driver but who is also looking for more responsibility and variety in their day to day.

You should enjoy working with people and take pride in doing what it takes to deliver a great experience (as well as driving of course). That might mean helping someone with their bags, keeping the coach spick and span or making an effort to say a cheery 'hello' when people board.

We've built lots of new technology to help ensure customers get the best experience possible. That means you'll need to be open to learning new systems and using them in the correct way.

As a small business, we put a lot of trust into our drivers. We expect you to take pride in the work that you do and this will involve light cleaning duties throughout the day to keep our coaches in top condition. We are also evolving fast, so love people that want to give input into how we can do things better and who do this in a thoughtful, constructive way.

Benefits

• £17.50 per hour starting rate.
• £18.30 per hour after one year - we reward those who want to make a long term career.
• £18.90 per hour if you become an Ember Ambassador - those who really live our values and give the best passenger experience.
• Relief contracts are also available - £19.61 per hour (£17.50 base rate plus additional pay in lieu of holiday)
• Overtime rates starting at £21.00 per hour.
• Free CPC renewal for full time and part time drivers
• 28 days paid annual holiday pro rata
• Flexible annual leave - request your own holiday dates rather than being assigned them
• Up to 10 days unpaid annual leave pro rata
• 20 days paid leave for sickness, jury duty, parental or other unplanned leave pro rata
• Established progression paths at a fast-growing company
• Referral scheme - get paid for referring other top drivers to us
• Friendly culture
• You’ll be driving a state-of-the-art electric coach
• You’ll contribute to a hugely positive environmental impact, with every journey reducing emissions and traffic

Hours

We're running a 24/7 service, seven days per week, and looking for drivers wanting to work a variety of shifts. We'll give you five weeks’ notice of what the rota looks like so you have plenty of time to plan. We also frequently have overtime opportunities available at shorter notice.

Next Steps

Get in touch if you think you might be the right fit or learn more about Ember at www.ember.to

Requirements

• Full PCV licence: Category D as a minimum
• Up to date CPC and a digital tachograph card (or able to get both quickly)
• Able to demonstrate high-quality driving, including smooth braking and a commitment to safety
• Flexibility to work early, late or night shifts on any day of the week. In return, we'll try to make these as sociable as possible and agree them well in advance