Hold Tight! - Driving school
 
Chapter 7
 
Page 65
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Hold Tight!
Chapter 7
City Transport
57 A different world
58 Portswood
59 Decisions
60 Home and away
61 Shirley routes
62 Football
63 Emergencies
64 Centenary
65 Driving school
66 End of the road
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Chapters
1 Beginnings
2 Learning
3 Getting Away
4 Winchester
5 Freedom
6 Southampton
7 City Transport
 
<< Back Good at reversing ..... Next >>
..... has trouble driving forwards.
I applied for the driving school on Hants & Dorset as soon as I was old enough at twenty-one. Like a lot of conductors I had not driven any vehicle at that point. We started by driving round a disused airfield in the New Forest, getting used to the feel of the bus and the crash (or 'clash' as the instructor called it) gear box.

One group had a very old Hants & Dorset bus. The rest of us went on a Wilts & Dorset bus. Both buses were weighted with concrete to simulate passengers. I survived the first week but was not making enough progress to carry on.
I then booked lessons with BSM. My instructor said I would have no problem but the warning signs were there the day I had to go out with someone else. Having to show somebody what I could do, I became nervous. This happened on each of the three tests I took. At the time there was only the practical test and I should have been able to get through it.
When I went on to Southampton City Transport I applied again. Despite all the lessons I failed the test again. But I know how to reverse a bus round a corner finishing parallel to the curb.
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