Driver/Passenger Assistant

About The Job
Salary: £25,989 – £26,824 a year pro rata
Hours per week: 27.5
Contract type: Permanent
As a
Driver Assistant
within the Passenger Transport Team (PTU), you'll play a vital role in delivering this service. You'll be responsible for the
safe transportation of children and vulnerable adults
, driving a range of vehicles and assisting passengers on designated routes. Your work will ensure that every journey is completed safely, comfortably, and with care.

This is a rewarding opportunity for someone who enjoys driving, working with people, and making a difference in their community.

Key Responsibilities

• Safely transport passengers, including children and vulnerable adults, to and from schools, day centres, and other establishments.
• Carry out daily vehicle checks, refuelling, and cleaning of the vehicle's interior and exterior to ensure safety and hygiene standards are maintained.
• Ensure passengers are safely assisted on and off the vehicle, using specialist equipment as required.
• Communicate courteously and clearly with parents, carers, colleagues, and passengers.
• Exercise initiative and sound judgement in emergency situations, such as vehicle breakdowns or passenger illness.
• Adapt to changes in schedule and work hours to accommodate service needs or delays.
• Maintain accurate records in line with Council procedures and statutory requirements.
• Promote equality, inclusion, and respect for all service users.

Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.
About You
You'll be a responsible and caring individual who takes pride in providing excellent service and ensuring the safety and comfort of all passengers. You'll have experience of driving vehicles larger than cars and working with the public, demonstrating patience, empathy, and professionalism at all times.

Essential Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Full, current Category D1 driving licence and successful completion of an independent driving assessment.
• Experience of driving vehicles larger than cars.
• Experience of working with people or the general public.
• Ability to communicate clearly, tactfully, and politely with a wide range of people.
• Good knowledge of daily vehicle checks, basic maintenance, and traffic regulations.
• Ability to act appropriately and use initiative in emergencies.
• Physically able to undertake heavy lifting when required.
• Flexibility to adjust working hours to meet service demands.
• Awareness of equality and diversity, and ability to recognise forms of discrimination.
• Must be over 23 years old (for insurance purposes).

Training & Development
You'll be required and supported to attend regular training as part of your role, including but not limited to:

• Safeguarding Adults & Children
• Autism and Dementia Awareness
• First Aid
• GDPR and Data Protection
• Contextual Safeguarding, FGM & Radicalisation
• MiDAS (Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme)
• PATS (Passenger Assistant Training Scheme)
• Any other training deemed necessary to deliver the service safely and effectively

Why Work for Luton Council?
Working for Luton Council means making a real difference every day. You'll be part of a caring and committed team ensuring that our most vulnerable residents travel safely and with dignity.

We Offer

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Regular, high-quality training and professional development.
• Supportive and friendly team environment.
• Opportunities to contribute to your local community.

Ready to make a difference?
If you're a responsible driver with a caring nature and a commitment to safety, we'd love to hear from you.

About Us
Our ambitious
Luton 2040 Vision
– that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.

The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?

We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough

Application Process
Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in A person's criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.
On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a very high number of applications being received.

Benefits
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:

• From 25 to 32 days' annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
• Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
• Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
• Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
• Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
• Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
• Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
• Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
• Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
• Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel

How To Apply
We understand that job applications take time and effort, but a high-quality application shows that you are professional with a good attention to detail. The recruiting manager may receive a number of applications for each job advertised so you want yours to stand out

Our 'How to apply' page has more tips to help with your application: How to apply