Mark Hewitt

Mark Hewitt has been driving some sort of bus for about eight years. He spent five of those years driving mass-transit double-decker buses in England, and he now operates a school bus and trains other drivers in the United States. Jack also drives motorcoaches and trains other drivers.

Articles by Mark Hewitt

• The mark of a successful bus trip

  Friday, April 04, 2014

  ​I have just returned from a successful two-day trip out to Wisconsin. It was made successful by several factors, and they all had to work hand-in-hand for it to be that way.

• Behind the scenes: Preparation for a bus trip

  Friday, March 21, 2014

  Many of you are obviously aware of what goes on during a motorcoach trip, but have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes? What goes on to make the trip flow so easily and what your driver does to make sure that there are no problems along the way?

• Driving lessons in snow and winter conditions

  Thursday, February 06, 2014

  Driving during the summer and winter are two completely different things. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. I have heard many stories about how such-and-such did not let the weather change how they drove. They are usually the ones who end up in the ditch at the first sign of snow. Let me offer you a few tips that I have learned from the winter so far.

• Lessons learned in bus tours

  Wednesday, January 15, 2014

  ​I have learned a few things during my many years as a coach driver, and I would like to pass some of them on in the hope that others will learn from my mistakes. Putting all of these tips together on one trip could turn it into one of your most successful trips of the year.

• Tour bus trip to New Orleans: Part I

  Thursday, December 05, 2013

  This was to be my first epic trip. It would be a grand total of 1,346 miles across six states and taking just under one full day of travel time, including stops. I was driving down to New Orleans for three days for a major conference there. For this trip I needed a co-driver so we could make it in one go without having to stop overnight anywhere. This worked well with us taking four-hour shifts behind the wheel and four hours in the bunk that had been fitted just for the trip.

• Homework is vital for a good bus tour

  Thursday, November 07, 2013

  Part of my role with my company is to train the new drivers in how to drive a motorcoach. A lot of them come in saying it is only a bigger version of the school bus, and it can't be that different. Shortly after that, I introduce the concept of "homework" to them and watch their faces fall. Homework is a vital part of the preparation for driving a trip. Without it, you will have no idea where you are going and what to expect when you get there.

• Motorcoach drivers: Don’t forget about customer service

  Thursday, October 10, 2013

  ​As motorcoach drivers, we can often forget this little thing called customer service, but it should be a part of our daily lives when we are on the road. We are the face and voice of the company we work for. It is important that we give the correct impression to customers from the moment they see the coach to the moment we leave them at the end of the trip. So what is customer service?

• Stop arms: Why do motorists ignore them?

  Thursday, October 03, 2013

  All of the school buses that I have had the pleasure of driving have had some sort of stop arm attached — some even have two — so why is it that the most common line heard when I report a stop arm violation is “I didn't see you there”?