George Isaac
My favorite route is to the city forests, says the tourist train driver
He wasn't one of the boys who dreamed of driving a garbage truck. But as it happens in life, you never know where fate will lead you. Jiří Izák knows this well, as for the third year in a row during the summer season, he's been behind the wheel of the Hradec tourist train, operated by his employer, the Hradec Králové Public Transport Company.
From the factory to the bus driver's seat
For almost my entire professional life, I worked for 14 years on modern machines in factories, including on a robotic line. But fate then brought me here, to Hradec Králové. When looking for a new job, I came across the public transport company's campaign „Become a public transport driver.“ After careful consideration, I told myself: Why not give it a try? I had occasionally thought about being a bus driver before; I admit it appealed to me. I had to enroll in the local driving school, expand my driver's license to group D, and obtain a professional license. Due to COVID, this took more than a year. Today, I've been working for the transport company for over six years. Because I'm one of those who like to constantly learn new things, I was interested when the transport company was looking for a new driver for the tourist train. I thought I could try that too. Although it meant going through exams again and expanding my driver's license to group E (trailers), I knew it wouldn't be a problem. As my colleagues from driving school had already proven to me before,
it can even teach a „blind person“ to drive. And yes – this year I'm starting my third season as a tourist train driver.
Article continues in magazine Dopravák.