Cork city bus service short 35 drivers for routes

Bus Éireann is short 35 drivers to provide the expected level of service throughout Cork city, with just 16 currently in training.

A spokesperson for the company told The Echo that it will require 2,000 drivers nationally in the next three years, but does not have a breakdown available by region.

“Six months ago, Bus Éireann was telling councillors there was no problem with recruitment or staffing levels,” said Green Party councillor Oliver Moran.

“The admission of clear numbers now is a very serious matter and an enormous let-down in trust for commuters.

“If there aren’t enough drivers for the current services, how can we expect to meet the BusConnects plans?

“Bus Éireann is building a new depot to accommodate 150 new buses next year, yet they admit to being 35 drivers short for their even existing routes. Who will drive these new buses?”

Mr Moran will move a motion at Cork City Council, asking that the local authority writes to the minister for transport.

Motion

The motion will include requesting the Department of Transport engages with the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment to remove barriers to the recruitment of drivers from overseas, including the addition of bus drivers to the Critical Skills Occupations List.

A spokesperson for Bus Éireann said: “Like other operators in the industry, we are facing significant short-term challenges for the recruitment of both drivers and mechanics.”

The spokesperson explained that a briefing session was held with Cork public representatives on June 25, and that it was confirmed to Mr Moran that Bus Éireann was short 35 drivers,

The spokesperson stated: “This is a live figure and regularly changes due to recruitment, promotions, retirements, etc. There are a number of drivers currently progressing through the Cork driver training school.”

They added that this is supported by their ongoing intensive driver recruitment campaigns, stating: “Bus Éireann held a Cork open evening on July 3 and are holding two more this month. We encourage anyone who has an interest in becoming a bus driver and wants to find out more about the career to attend.”

Recruitment campaign

They detailed their driver recruitment campaign launched in February, saying: “This campaign continues to be very successful”.

“Despite all this, we see a shortage of drivers. This is owing to a very competitive market and a lack of D-licence holders.

“This requires significant investment in time and money to scale a B-licence driver to a D-licence driver. Last year, we successfully aided 60 such transfers,” they said, adding that they have established a training school in Cork.

“We are building a pipeline of both drivers and mechanics but, owing to the welcome expansion of services and our ambitious growth targets, recruitment is an ongoing difficulty.

“Due to a number of factors, including retirement and service enhancement, we will need approximately an additional 2,000 drivers over the next three years.

“We are continuing to review and expand our approach, and targeting drivers in international markets is now part of our strategy.”