Bus drivers are moving to lorries.. upcoming Transport Crisis?
Bus drivers are moving to fill up lorry drivers vacancies after being tempted by a whopping £78,000 a year.
Key bus routes have now experienced delays due to understaffing, while others have been axed entirely from the timetable, reports the Mirror.
The UK has now tried to address the HGV driver shortages in many ways. The government tried to bring back foreign lorry drivers after Brexit by offering short-term Visas to no avail. It also sent a million letters to ask for help.
Now, it finally deployed the army to aid with the lorry drivers crisis, but that cannot last forever.
That is why the road haulage sector took it upon itself to poach bus drivers to drive lorries instead. Industry insiders claim 4,000 new recruits are now needed to keep bus fleets moving, The Sun reports.
Bus drivers currently earn an average of £32,500 a year. Naturally, the temptation to switch to up to £78,000 as truckers is strong.
According to the Mirror, several bus companies have reduced the frequency of services. That is to try to avoid cancelling buses on school runs or crucial commuting routes, with the hardest-hit areas in Scotland, the north-east of England, Bristol and south Gloucestershire. (https://www.techandtrends.com/)
However, there are shortages across the entire country – West Yorkshire is short of about 250 drivers, or 10% of the required number, according to the region’s transport bosses.
“If we increased wages it would mean higher fares for passengers,” the CPT added. “We don’t have the flexibility of the road haulage industry, which is part of a long delivery chain where the cost can be spread.”
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