Drivers put safety first, says report

A high level of road safety topped drivers’ list of the most important things about their job, according to research by Volvo.

Volvo Buses carried out a survey of 1,000 coach and long-distance bus drivers from 34 European countries about their work in spring this year. The majority of answers came from drivers in Finland, France, Italy, Sweden and Great Britain. It found happy, satisfied passengers are the best thing about the job. The handling and performance of the bus and the driver’s working environment mean a lot. But a high level of road safety topped the poll.

VP Retail Segment at Volvo Buses, Niklas Orre, said: “The survey we have just carried out is one of the tools we use to gain an up-to-date understanding of how they regard their situation.”

Judging by their responses, most coach drivers really enjoy their work. As many as 85% of them would recommend their job to other people. A total of 44% think that satisfied passengers are the best thing about the job, while 29% put the driving itself in first place.

The answers to the question of which factors play the greatest role in their choice of employer show that working hours, geographical working area, managers, colleagues and training opportunities are all very important. But the most important consideration of all is which vehicle you get to drive, according to 67% of the drivers who were surveyed. When they were asked about different characteristics of the vehicles, they put safety in first place, closely followed by manoeuvrability and visibility.

The passengers also seem to be generally satisfied with the drivers’ performance, according to Volvo’s research. A total of 63% of drivers said they rarely or never came across angry or rude passengers. On the contrary, passengers often show their appreciation of drivers. Nine out of ten had been given a spontaneous round of applause by passengers and around 30% said that this happened frequently.

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