Bid to recruit an extra 1,000 bus and coach drivers

A recruitment campaign has kicked off to attract an additional 1,000 bus and coach drivers into the region’s workforce.

West Yorkshire Bus Alliance, which includes First Bus, Transdev and Arriva working together with West Yorkshire Combined Authority have joined forces with the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, to take on these extra workers.

It is the first time bus operators have acted jointly to encourage the public to find out about bus and coach driving job opportunities.

Members of the public were able to chat with the operators and drivers earlier this week, and discover more about the reality of being a bus driver.

A dedicated bus driving jobs website has been set up by the bus companies and will be live from today – 28 February – at www.westyorkshirebusjobs.com

Brabin said: “We’ve seen the effect Covid has had on our bus services, with some services reduced because there haven’t been enough drivers available to run them, or being cut because people aren’t travelling at the moment.

“But it’s important that we have drivers trained and in place so that as patronage rises operators can run higher frequencies, to get our services back to where they were.

“That’s why I’m working with our local operators to recruit more drivers, so we can create a diverse, skilled workforce reflecting the needs of our region.”

It is estimated the further 1,000 bus and coach drivers will be needed in the future to fully develop and deliver the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) for West Yorkshire, which will be introduced this spring.

A spokesman for the Bus Alliance added: “We want to encourage people to consider a job as a bus driver and the career pathway this can provide into other roles in our businesses.

“Buses and coaches are a vital form of transport and many people rely on them to make their day-to-day journeys as well as for longer trips.

“We are seeing a gradual rise in diversity with people from wider backgrounds and with transferable skills joining our workforces and we want this to continue.”