December 11 2023
Today (11 December), the Department for Transport (DfT) has published its response to the consultation on proposed changes to the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC).
Responding to the recommendations from the Government, CPT's Operations Director Keith McNally said:
"Whilst we welcome the limited amount of additional flexibility that the Government recommendations will introduce, parts of the bus and coach sector are continuing to experience significant driver shortages and this announcement is a lost opportunity in terms of helping address those.
"We are very disappointed that the minimum course duration recommended is 3.5 hours; the proposal for shorter course modules would have enabled drivers to undertake some training on normal working days, rather than taking them from behind the wheel for a whole day.
"Measures to make it easier for drivers to return to a driving role are now not expected until 2025 and proposals to introduce a periodic test option as an alternative to 35 hours of training will also be subject to further consultation. In light of the driver shortages that continue to be seen, we had hoped for rapid progress after the consultation in March 2023."
ENDS