“There is a significant driver shortage in the UK, which has slowed recruitment of drivers from there. There is a 12-week process to recruit from Europe so those drivers look elsewhere,” said a spokesperson for the company.
“We have also seen the retirement of older drivers and the lingering effect of the pandemic. All of these factors have closed off the traditional sources of Guernsey’s bus drivers.”
Pictured: CT Plus hopes to recruit full-time and part-time drivers.
CT Plus believes the long-term solution to the problem is to recruit drivers locally. Regional Director, Kevin Hart, said the company was working closely with the States.
“We are exploring how to make driving more attractive as a career, including detailed discussions on bringing Guernsey’s minimum bus driving licence age to 18, in line with the UK,” he said.
“We want to make bus driving a much more attractive option for Guernsey residents, whether they are just starting out in their careers or looking for a change of direction.
“We are delighted to announce an immediate increase on our basic rate of pay, and our pay for weekend and evening work. This means that a full-time bus driver could reasonably expect to earn £38k per year with a little bit of overtime.”
Pictured: The driver shortage has caused service disruption.
Training will be provided for free at CT Plus’ in-house driving school.
Mr Hart continued: “Making the switch to more local staff won’t be a quick fix, but it’s the right thing to do to ensure the long-term stability of the scheduled bus service.
“In the meantime, we’d like to apologise to our customers for any disruption caused by the driver shortage and urge them to check our website for travel news. We’d also like to say thank you to our current staff team, who are doing everything they can to reduce the impact of the driver shortage on the travelling public.”
For more information on becoming a bus driver call 01481 719238.
Pictured: Bus drivers can except to earn £38,000 per year.