February 11 2022
In this week’s blog post CPT Operations Director Keith McNally writes about the upcoming Bus & Coach Driver Recruitment Week, and why operators should get involved.
Bus and coach drivers play a crucial role and are often at the heart of their local communities. They help make it possible for people to access jobs, education & essential services, as well as staying connected with friends and family.
Around 1 in 10 bus and coach driver jobs are vacant across the UK, and Bus & Coach Driver Recruitment Week is an opportunity for us to kickstart conversations about what being a bus or coach driver involves. We need to make it clear to people who might not have considered it before that being a driver can be an incredibly rewarding career, with opportunities for progression, travel, flexible work patterns and more. Of course, not all operators are the same and what they can offer to employees differs, but this is why we need operators to be talking about what they can offer and having these conversations with potential recruits at a local level.
Bus & Coach Driver Recruitment Week is also a chance for us to address myths around being a bus or coach driver. This includes challenging the myths that only men work in transport, that the hours are long and unsociable, and that there are no prospects for promotion. I encourage CPT members to look at the resources page in the Member Area of the CPT site for guidance about promoting opportunities at a local level through events and open days, and how to talk about the reality of being a bus or coach driver.
There is also another challenge that we need to address: tackling climate change. To do this we need to get more people travelling by bus and coach rather than by car but we need to make sure there are bus and coach drivers available to provide the services that passengers need.
For anyone reading this who may be considering a career in the industry, I encourage you to consider becoming a driver. You will be playing a hugely important role in an industry that is varied, challenging but also supportive.