Member Article

Bus drivers learn Weegee

A Scottish bus company is teaching its bemused Polish drivers ‘Glaswegian’ to help them understand their passengers.

Glaswegian bus driver James Lillis, 55, learned basic Polish to help him enlighten foreign drivers who often have no idea what their fares are saying.

He has been explaining phrases such as ‘Geezan aw day tae the toon’ (Give me an all-day ticket to town), and ‘Wanan’a hauf please’ (One adult and a child please).

Nearly 10% of First Glasgow’s drivers are foreign, with 90 overseas staff based at one depot alone. Most are Polish, but there are also drivers from Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Mr Lillis took a ten-week Polish course and lived with the family of one of his colleagues in Poland. He said: “When new employees come to Scotland and hear the Glasgow accent, it can be a problem.

“A lot of them understand normal English, having been taught it at school, but when they come to Glasgow they cannot make out a word people say. They have trouble making out the meaning of common phrases such as ‘big man’ and ‘nae bother’.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .