A BUS driver is keeping up a tradition that has been in the family for a century: getting people from here to there.
Mark Austin, his Dad, grandfather and great grandfather, have all got behind the wheel, and this month junior is marking his 20th anniversary with Reading Buses.
His current daily route includes going past Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge secondary school in Sonning Common – where he learnt all about double algebra, fronted adverbials, and geography.
The 50-year-old, who lives in Sonning Common with his wife and daughter, said that Mark, 50, who lives in Sonning Common with his wife and daughter, said his father Geoffrey and his grandfather, also Geoffrey, as well as his great grandfather, all drove for Thames Valley, now part of the Reading Buses family, going back to the 1920s.
With this love for buses, it’s no surprise that he wants others to give it a go.
“I would certainly say that the challenge of getting your full bus licence and the satisfaction that comes with the job itself should attract young people and I would encourage more to join,” said Mark.
“Bus driving, which I know is in my blood, is enjoyable. I like being out and about, I also like the driving itself and I get a lot of pleasure out of the job which provides good money.
“It’s also my mobile office – meaning no two days are the same.”
Mark is a petrolhead through and through. His hobby involves driving classic cars and motorcycles that he has restored.
Caroline Anscombe, Reading Buses HR Director, said: “Mark really does represent a family legacy within Reading Buses and it’s great to celebrate his 20-year service with him.
“He is a true testament that driving buses can be a job for life, and is a career that has always been needed, even 100 years ago.”
