Puzzled Polish bus drivers learn to Parliamo Glasgow
VETERAN comic Stanley Baxter was famous for his Parliamo Glasgow sketches, but trying to understand the city’s patter is no joke for Polish bus drivers.
Now, thanks to James Lillis, the drivers are familiar with phrases such as “Geezan aw day tae the toon” (“May I have an all-day ticket to town”) and “Wanana hauf please” (“One adult and a child please”).
Mr Lillis, 55, a bus driver for 30 years, took a course in Polish and then spent time with a colleague’s family in Poland to improve his language skills.
As well as driving, he runs the workplace learning centre in Glasgow, where he is a representative for Eastern European bus drivers.
Nearly one in 10 of First Glasgow’s staff are foreign, mainly Polish .
Mr Lillis said: “A lot of drivers understand normal English, having been taught it at school, but when they come to Glasgow, they cannot make out a word people say.”
Education secretary Fiona Hyslop will present Mr Lillis with the fourth annual Helen Dowie award for Lifelong Learning at the STUC conference in Perth today.
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