Salary of tube and train drivers - why so high?

tom_e · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:23

You keep alluding to the tough things drivers have to do but you've not actually explained them in any detail other than it's more complicated than we think.

Fill us in and maybe more people will see where you're coming from.

Caged · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:26

What's the actual cost of a driver as a percentage of the fare?

wilber · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:30

Hawkwind1879 said:
It has everything to with risk and responsibility.

Simple not true or the UK's most dangerous jobs would be paying far more than what they currently do.

ubersonic · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:35

Hawkwind1879 said:
Moronic post of the day congratulations

You know when you disagree with a point yet can't think of a valid counterpoint so just opt to insult the poster that's the same as admitting defeat yeah?

Basher said:
Driving a tube train requires slightly more training, granted but his point remains. The pay has absolutely nothing to do with 'risk', it's completely down to how unionised they are.

Thank you.

Basher · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:42

Hawkwind1879 said:
It has everything to with risk and responsibility. I know it's popular at the moment to bash train drivers but that don't make it right. You do them a great diservice frankly

Nonsense. Does driving a train involve more risk and responsibility than a nurse? Is it more of a responsibility than teaching or policing?

There are two reasons why people earn good money; either very few people can do the job, or no one else wants the job - tube drivers fit neither of these.

Hawkwind1879 · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:50

tom_e said:
You keep alluding to the tough things drivers have to do but you've not actually explained them in any detail other than it's more complicated than we think.

Fill us in and maybe more people will see where you're coming from.

To be fair mate it should be pretty obvious, some people here are just being deliberately ignorant :confused:

.

If your using the railway regularly most people probably won't realise each and every time they should be very thankful their driver does more than push buttons.

Driver must have complete working knowledge of the railway rule book, his train, route, speeds, stopping distances. If everything is working normally at the very least a driver must sit there for hours paying 100% concentration at all times.

It's a huge responsibility even with all our protection systems in place things do go wrong. Drivers are under a he'll of a lot of scrutiny, always being monitored, every action at the controls is logged and mistakes flagged up.

Generally most jobs on the railway are well paid and that is due to the safety critical nature of the job. That other safety critical jobs are not as well paid is frankly not drives fault.

I'm not very good with words and especially typing on phone that's why I tried to keep short replies.

Hawkwind1879 · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:51

No one said nurses or others have less responsibility. The fact that they are underpaid does not mean drivers do not deserve their pay

tom_e · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:52

Hawkwind1879 said:
Driver must have complete working knowledge of the railway rule book, his train, route, speeds, stopping distances. If everything is working normally at the very least a driver must sit there for hours paying 100% concentration at all times.

Sounds just like any other job involving a vehicle be that bus driver, hgv driver, emergency services driver etc.

Hawkwind1879 · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:53

ubersonic said:
You know when you disagree with a point yet can't think of a valid counterpoint so just opt to insult the poster that's the same as admitting defeat yeah?

Thank you.

You made a comment that showed you have no idea what you are talking about that's why I couldn't be bothered to counter you

Terminal_Boy · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:53

tom_e said:
Sounds just like any other job involving a vehicle be that bus driver, hgv driver, emergency services driver etc.

BINGO!

ubersonic · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:54

Hawkwind1879 said:
Driver must have complete working knowledge of the railway rule book, his train, route, speeds, stopping distances. If everything is working normally at the very least a driver must sit there for hours paying 100% concentration at all times.

So it's like a bus driver, just much easier and overpaid, I think that's already been established.

dowie · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:55

Hawkwind1879 said:
No one said nurses or others have less responsibility. The fact that they are underpaid does not mean drivers do not deserve their pay

What does the subjective idea of what someone 'deserves' have to do with this? Driver pay isn't down to what they 'deserve' or anything to do with them having had to attend a training course, or because their 'responsible for lives' or have to be a bit sharper than the bloke who stands on the platform and says 'please mind the gap'. It is mostly just a function of what has been negotiated by their union over the years.

Hawkwind1879 · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:55

tom_e said:
Sounds just like any other job involving a vehicle be that bus driver, hgv driver, emergency services driver etc.

The roads and the railway are different and not a good comparison. As I said , it's more in common with the airline industry than road

ubersonic · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:56

Hawkwind1879 said:
The roads and the railway are different and not a good comparison. As I said , it's more in common with the airline industry than road

No it's the exact opposite, driving a bus/hgv/etc has more in common with flying a plane than driving a tube train does. Hence my lift operator comparison before.

Basher · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:57

Hawkwind1879 said:
No one said nurses or others have less responsibility. The fact that they are underpaid does not mean drivers do not deserve their pay

You still haven't explained what's quite so complex or special about the risks and responsibilities of a tube driver, in the context of the market rates for similarly risky and responsible positions ...

The job of a tube driver is not highly skilled nor is it one which few want to do, so I struggle to see why they're paid so much.

[TFU] Thegoon84 · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:58

I love that we've become a nation of jealous ********* when others earn good money for doing a particularly undemanding job, relative easy work pattern that isn't target driven..... Do you know why? Because we'd all rather blame the working man that blame a disgusting tory government who've caused wages to stagnate with absolutely no sign of them ever increasing!

This is why a strong union gets the working man more..... But now we've become a nation who backs a government who would rather us hate the union who fights for us and take up their stance who works to enslave us.

The End.

Hawkwind1879 · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:59

I can't comment on tube drivers I don't really care or have any experience with them I'm talking trains

tom_e · 7 Feb 2017 at 11:59

[TFU] Thegoon84;30478878 said:
I love that we've become a nation of jealous ********* when others earn good money for doing a particularly undemanding job and easy work pattern... without targets..... Do you know why? Because we'd all rather blame the working man that blame a disgusting tory government who've caused wages to stagnate with absolutely no sign of them ever increasing!

Who's blaming the guy doing the job :confused:

Hawkwind1879 · 7 Feb 2017 at 12:00

ubersonic said:
No it's the exact opposite, driving a bus/hgv/etc has more in common with flying a plane than driving a tube train does. Hence my lift operator comparison before.

Wow..please explain

Josh · 7 Feb 2017 at 12:01

Hawkwind you are fighting a loosing battle here.

No-one in their right mind would compare a Train Driver and a Pilot - the industry might be similar in a such that you both move mass amounts of people around but that is as far as they are comparable.

Oh and the salary.

From what I have seen posted about why Train/Tube drivers get paid so much isn't a great example - they appear to be over paid Uber drivers tbh.