A chance meeting on his dog walk led Peter Sylvester to train as a coach driver and quit retired life
Fed up of sitting at home and facing the prospect of retirement, Solihull man Peter Sylvester decided to ditch the quiet life after a chance meeting on his daily dog walk.
The ex-retiree from Hockley Heath in Solihull spent decades working in the corporate world, and eventually sold his leadership consultancy in 2020, which he founded after leaving his role as senior vice president international at Harley Davidson.
“While I was walking my dog, I would see this school bus doing the pick ups, I got to know the driver pretty well, he said he was leaving” said Peter, 73.
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“When he described it to me I thought, I could do that!”
In September 2023, Peter became the minibus driver for Arnold Lodge School in Leamington after calling their office.
He also became a supervisor at the school, helping the other bus drivers get their licences through.
“I was enjoying it, I got to know the kids very well” said Peter.
However a new challenge was calling, and he moved to Johnsons Coaches in February 2024, where he sat his coach driving qualification.
“I sat a computer and hazard perception test and driving skills” explained Peter.
Adding: “You have to prove you can manoeuvre a giant coach, you have to reverse it back in and out of cones and stop it within a barrier.
“They take you out and about in Birmingham and on the back streets.”
Peter passed first time; “I was then a fully fledged coach driver” he said.
Adding: “I was touring the country doing airport runs, tours to Ireland, in the summer of 2024 I did 19 tours.”
Peter then became the driver and tour guide that summer, responsible for a whole coach load of tourists seeing the sights in Ireland, Devon, Bournemouth and beyond.
“There are very narrow lanes in Ireland which I found out to my cost!” he joked.
“With the tours, you are with these people for 24 hours a day, you have to take care of issues.”
One trip taking Birmingham University students to see rock formations in Ireland turned into an adventure when Peter realised the car park was closed, leaving him to reverse the 12 metre coach back up a winding lane.
“These were the exciting challenges I loved” he said.
“It’s not just sitting at the front wiggling a wheel.”
After his stint with Johnsons, Peter decided to move to Godiva Coaches of Coventry in May 2024 for 6 months, consulting as well as driving groups to Skegness, Blackpool and Bournemouth.
He then moved to LandFlight Travel in Solihull where he consulted as well as drove.
Peter recalled three times that he tried and failed to retire.
The first was at the end of his 10-year tenure at Harley Davidson, which evolved into him setting up his consultancy firm.
The second time was when he sold his firm off in the pandemic, and the most recent time was when he finished with Godiva Travel, but moved back to driving coaches in Solihull.
Asked what his family think of his career change, Peter said: “Over the years my wife had got used to me travelling the world, my family are to used to it.”
Peter is now taking a break from driving full time: “Now at 73, my brain is willing but my body is getting weaker, I can’t sustain 17 to 18 hour days.”
He added that it isn’t the end when you come to retire, but a case of finding your passion.
“Find that passion that will get you out of bed in the morning, you will have no purpose otherwise.
“For me, it is using the expertise that I have got and offering it up to people.”
He added: “Everybody has a passion.”
