'Driving buses runs in the family'

Emma Pool-Long spent three years studying hairdressing before taking a job as a bus driver

You could say buses are in Emma Pool-Long's blood - she first drove one when she was just eight.

Her dad and two uncles all drive buses, and both her grandfathers did as well.

So, despite spending three years studying hairdressing, it seemed only natural the 19-year-old from Leeds would follow in her family's footsteps.

"Driving buses is literally in the family," she says from behind the wheel of her open-top sightseeing bus.

"From the moment I had a go at driving a training bus inside the depot, I knew this was what I wanted to do," she said after attending a recruitment event held by bus operator Transdev in April.

"Everyone here has supported me every step of the way, and for me, driving a bus just feels like driving a car – except it’s a lot bigger of course," she added.

Ms Pool-Long has been driving sight-seeing busses in York since September

After passing her test in September at the first attempt, she took a job driving one off the firm's fleet of hop-on hop-off sightseeing busses in York.

She said it had always been a dream of hers to step into the driver's cab after watching her dad, Chris, when she was little.

She told BBC Radio York: "My grandad on my mum's side drove buses and my nana gave tickets out.

"On my dad's side, it's my uncle, my grandad and my dad and my other uncle who drive coaches now."

Asked how her family had reacted, she said: "They're supportive - they're really happy for me and proud of how I've gotten into it."

The teenager said she had always wanted to be a bus driver since seeing he dad doing it when she was a child

Despite the wealth of family experience, Ms Pool-Long said customers were often surprised when they see her sat at the wheel with her perfectly manicured nails and glossy hair.

"They always say 'oh wow, you're really young to be driving a bus'," she says.

The open-top busses are a popular way for visitors to take in the city's sights, including the ancient walls, Minster and Clifford's Tower.

Ms Pool-Long said: "I've met people from New Zealand, Australia, Canada - it's really interesting to hear how different it is in their countries.

"I don't think I'll be going back to [hairdressing] anytime soon - I do enjoy doing this."

Emma Pool-Long's dad Chris is also a bus driver and both of her grandads were too

Speaking from the upper deck of his daughter's bus her father, Chris Pool-Long, said: "It's really impressive. [I'm] proud of her, very proud.

"She once drove one when she was about eight years old on a private airfield and she did like it then, so I knew she would be one eventually."

Mr Pool-Long, who is based at Transdev's Harrogate depot, said he hoped she would "bring more girls into the industry".

"I'm sure she will, because it's now easier to drive than it was back in the olden days, power steering, automatics, just easier," he said.

When asked if she was a better bus driver than him, he laughed and said: "Yes, she's no bad habits yet, she's more careful than I am."

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