00:00 I'm on the number 50 bus, National Express and it goes from Moore Street to Druid's
00:11 Heath and we rode the bus today which goes through also Kings Heath, Moseley and there
00:18 are some amazing stops on the way.
00:21 We spoke to Herbie Rose who's one of the elite drivers with National Express and he drives
00:27 the number 50 and this is what he had to say.
00:30 Hello, my name is Herbert, Herbert Rose but people call me Herbie and I've been working
00:39 for National Express for just over 10 years.
00:44 I actually passed in December of 2012 which was just before Christmas so it was a lovely
00:51 Christmas present but I started at Yardley Wood Garage in January 2013 so it's just over
01:02 10 years.
01:06 The job itself has been really rewarding for me.
01:12 I love driving and I like meeting people and this job for me offers both.
01:25 I'm a regular driver on the 50 route.
01:32 My day basically starts with me going into the garage, checking the bus, making sure
01:42 that everything's okay, taking the bus to the start of the route and generally spending
01:54 about maybe 4 hours in a go, 4, 4 and a half hours to 5 hours generally driving.
02:03 Then I have a break and another 4 hours or so more driving.
02:13 The 50 route itself is a really, really busy route.
02:19 We tend to have our regular customers who you tend to get to know.
02:28 We tend to get to meet a lot of interesting people from all walks of life.
02:33 The 50s are quite regular.
02:35 I know sometimes it might be hard to believe sometimes but they are quite a regular service
02:41 so you may have been aware on your journey itself that there is possibly I would imagine
02:50 about 15 buses on route which is quite a good number.
02:58 I think the service is roughly around every 5 minutes.
03:05 So I think the frequency is a good thing really.
03:12 The buses are fairly new as well so they are quite comfortable as well.
03:18 So that's another thing.
03:19 Both for myself as a driver and as a passenger as well.
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