So you wanna be a Glacier Red Bus driver? Part 1: The Right Stuff.
DISCLAIMER: Everything in this post series is solely based on my own personal experience as a Red Bus tour driver in Glacier Park. The metrics from which I derive many of my insights and conclusions are based on my performance. I consider myself an average person, with average skills and abilities Without a benchmark, I will describe my experiences as…. you guessed it …. average. So mileage may vary, and I hope you enjoy it.
Now let’s unpack this thing. Just like ripping off the band-aid. Or chest hair, as the case may be.
Every time I hear the phrase ‘the right stuff’ I think back to that Clint Eastwood astronaut movie by the same name. The best of the very best, in the early years of space exploration.
Then I instantly think of that Bruce Willis movie where a bunch of oil rig workers had to go into space to save the world.
So what does it really take to be a Jammer at Glacier for a season? Well, clearly something between Right and Wrong. As all things in life are somewhere in the middle. Let’s start with what qualifications Xanterra put out there in the actual job listing. Are you ready?
Now Hiring Summer 2023 Red Bus Tour Driver to LIVE, WORK, EXPLORE in Glacier National Park!
At Glacier National Park Lodges, we depend on our team members to be highly motivated, committed, and competent people who share our vision and work together to attain it, while our work environment encourages responsibility for personal growth and promotes pride in each employee. No matter what your job is, you will be a proud steward of the park. You will play an essential role in providing warm and friendly hospitality to all our guests.
Glacier National Park sees over 3 million annual visitors and encompasses just over 1 million acres of largely wilderness area and is known for its seemingly endless acres of rugged and breathtaking landscapes. Glacier National Park was established in 1910 and stands today as a monument to wild natural places. As part of the Crown of the Continent ecosystem, the park includes 175 named mountains, 762 lakes (131 named lakes), 200+ named waterfalls and 26 named glaciers, as well as 1,000 plant species, and hundreds of animal species. Employees can explore the park’s 745 miles of hiking trails, take a bus tour on Going-to-the-Sun Road, or kayak in clear lakes.
Dave Notes:
This is well-written. Except for the GNP stats you don’t care about that are cut and pasted into everything Xanterra writes up. Yes, you need to be a self-motivated, outgoing, gregarious personality that likes to talk to a new batch of strangers from all corners of the globe EVERY DAY.
There is no one to push you. And you may be the ONLY employee contact a guest may have their entire time in the Park. You have to make it count, even on days when you are out too late at the Babb Bar the night before.
No pressure there. And 90% of your tours are solo. It’s all on you. You get out of it EXACTLY what you put into it.
The Details
- Seasonal positions start in early-May to early-June and extend through mid- to late-September 2023 (dates depend on Location)
Dave Notes:
Now the fun begins. Sure, you can work in early May and late September. But there are few tours (no tips), so you are just driving only for the hourly rate (which although increased from $12 hr. in 2022), is just not worth it without tips. But you CAN expect 50 hours per five-day week. Ouch.
Xanterra alludes to ‘affordable housing.’ Yep, room and board fees apply. They vary by location, but I think mine was $7 a day for a shared cabin and $5 for food. Sure, $400 a month isn’t crazy. Per other seasonal ‘parkies’ this is pretty normal if not a little on the low side (of course, you ARE in rural MT and not in Vail CO).
Amazingly, they have waived room fees for the last two seasons because of the chronic lack of seasonal workers. But dining costs were passed on. So you can expect a noticeable part of your gross pay to get nibbled away in taxes and living expenses.
The perks are a little lean. Housing is normally cramped, with zero privacy, and literally, ALL spaces are shared (bunk beds are very common). And not all sites have an employee dining hall (which means be prepared to buy and cook your own food – those extra costs start adding up).
The odds of getting a free Red Bus or Boat Tour are pretty slim because they are always fully booked with paying tourists. Sometimes you can do a standby and hope for no-shows, but that’s a good way to waste a day off. I didn’t have an employee on my bus the entire season.
The WI-FI is worthless everywhere except for the Beargrass location on the East Side. This is why all of the Asian employees from the Rising Sun location would take the employee shuttle to our common area to suck up the bandwidth streaming anime for hours and hours on end. Guess they were not into hiking one of the most spectacular National Parks in the country.
Dining/retail discounts don’t really offset high seasonal tourist pricing. And your employee badge is your Glacier Park season entry pass, which you MUST have to get you in and out of the park for work. Perk or necessity?
Responsibilities
- Operate equipment in a safe and proper operation all weather conditions.
- Maintain professionalism while working outdoors in extreme weather and during vehicle break-downs.
- Lead guided walks up to a mile or longer in length.
- Complete all required reports in a prompt and accurate manner.
- Responsible for a clean and neat appearance in the prescribed uniform.
- Responsible for cleaning, fueling and ensuring vehicle is safe before and after each shift.
- Must accurately complete all daily DOT paperwork and reports each shift and file them according to policy.
Dave Notes:
This is pretty much spot on. Expect to drive the Red Bus in all types of weather. And at the end of a long day (12-14 hours), wash it, dry it, fuel it, post-inspect it, and fill out all the paperwork.
I don’t think I knew any drivers that did guided walks. But that really depends on if there are NO people with mobility issues on the tour, which is VERY common.
By the way, the job posting did include some nice pictures. But these are pretty old. Like the late 1990s. You can tell because it was before the big multi-million dollar Ford refurbishment of the entire fleet.
But let’s move on, and see what it REALLY takes to be a Jammer!
Qualifications
Essential Skills and Knowledge:
- Must be knowledgeable and courteous in giving interpretive commentary of Park features and history; and have strong reading and comprehensive skills to research tour information.
- Must have the ability to communicate effectively, through oral presentation, an accurate and informative narrative of the park.
- Must practice courteous guest service while keeping tours on a time schedule and remaining punctual.
- This position may drive up to 10 hours driving (12 hours total work) on various types of road conditions.
Dave Notes:
You are given all kinds of GNP books and a 350-page spiral-bound Jammer manual (which needs a lot of updating). Here is the rub: the first three weeks are all training. About 90% of that time is studying and getting your CDL. If you don’t pass, no job, and everything else is moot.
When you do pass, now you’ve got to play catch up and study hundreds of pages of GNP history and facts to provide commentary during all of the hundreds of hours and thousands of upcoming miles of driving guests. Ouch.
So a Red Bus Driver is really two very demanding AND different jobs combined into one. This is why the starvation wage is a real hurt to both the wallet and (more importantly for most) the ego.
Why? VERY few people in the world can pull this dual driving/tour guide role AND still give the guest the knowledge experience they paid for (which is openly promised in the brochures).
Did I mention we are not allowed by the NPS to solicit tips? Double ouch.
Physical Requirements:
- Previous driving experience NOT required! Training is provided.
- Drivers must be at least 21 years of age.
- Ability to obtain a valid U.S. CDL Driver’s License, training is provided.
- Must meet all DOT physical requirements and pass a DOT physical exam including a pre-employment drug screen and federally required random screens throughout the season, and comply with the Xanterra Driver Safety Program and Policy.
- Ability to walk up to a mile several times each day at elevations ranging from 3,500 feet to 6,700 feet above sea level.
- Simultaneously steer a vehicle, shift its transmission, operate accelerator and brake pedals, and give commentary while driving in heavy traffic and in all weather conditions.
- Ability to bend, twist, and lift up to 50 lbs. simultaneously and repeatedly.
- Ability to roll the canvas bus top back and forth without assistance.
- Withstand up to 10 hours of consecutive driving on rough and/or icy roads.
- Ability to work outdoors in variable weather (including rain, sleet, snow, direct sunlight, high winds, and temperatures ranging from 0 to +100 degrees Fahrenheit).
Dave Notes: Most of this is standard DOT verbiage they have to use, and such is pretty accurate. And if you can’t pass the DOT physical, you probably can lift the 50 pounds or walk the mile (neither of which you will ever HAVE to do). And I only had a couple of bad weather driving days, although you’d get more if working in May and September.
So that is what Xanterra throws out there to lure newbies into coming to a place they may have never been, give accurate and fun dialog to people they have never met, and drive a vintage bus on a dangerous mountain road with a brand spanking new CDL and zero hours of experience.
What could possibly go wrong? Amazingly, very little if you look at history. This employment model has worked for about a hundred years. And they have only lost one Red Bus (an employee after-hours thing in the late 1970s).
But what about my take? What does Dave think you need to be a Red Bus Driver? Stay tuned for Part 2 where I talk about the REAL Stuff. :-}
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Can’t wait for part two!
Don’t worry. There will be more parts than most people will care to read. 🙂