Coach driver vacancies exceed bus driver vacancies

Coach driver vacancies exceed bus driver vacancies, according to the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT).

The CPT’s latest research says there is around a 9% vacancy rate for bus drivers, compared to 15% for coach drivers.

A spokesperson from the CPT said: “We have lost a lot of drivers caused by a number of external factors primarily from the fallout from the pandemic and Brexit, which has created a perfect storm.

“We have a greater number of people than usual leaving the industry due to EU nationals choosing to return to their home countries. As a result, vacancies are more than double what we saw in 2019.

We are running hard to catch-up and fill the vacancies, but that’s really difficult when the labour market is tighter than ever before.”

In an effort to combat this, CPT we has launched a recruitment campaign called “Thank You Driver” which shows that being a bus and coach driver is the most thanked profession in the UK.

“We also need Government to work with us to ensure the supply of labour is as big as it possibly can be” – CPT

The CPT spokesperson said: “We also need Government to work with us to ensure the supply of labour is as big as it possibly can be. This might involve encouraging people to return to the workforce or recruiting from overseas, which could include adding bus and coach drivers to the shortage occupation list for a skilled worker’s visa.”