Bus Éireann highlights staff shortages with Cork 'the most challenging region' to get drivers
The bus station in Cork City. Cork is proving to be “the most challenging” region to get staff to work in, Bus Éireann has said. Picture: Chani Anderson
A lack of bus drivers and mechanics coupled with car congestion are threatening the operation of the country’s main bus companies, TDs have been told.
They have also been told a "lack of enforcement of bus priority and of illegal bus stop use is a negative input" into the issues affecting the provision of bus services around the country.
Bus Éireann CEO Stephen Kent says the company will need an extra 2,000 drivers to meet “unprecedented” demand over the next three years.
Mr Kent also said that despite trying to attract drivers from abroad, the lack of available housing was making that difficult.
Although it currently has over 3,000 employees from 51 different countries, drivers and mechanics are in short supply mainly in Dublin and Cork.
He added that, however, Cork is proving to be “the most challenging” region to get staff to work in.
Addressing the joint Oireachtas committee on transport and communications, he said: “Staff shortages emerged as an issue for us last autumn.
“[This was] initially for school bus contractors and then for mechanics in our Dublin depot and drivers in our Cork depot which impacted service delivery,” he said.
The recruitment of D licence holders is “proving challenging” as there is a more “limited pool of these drivers available” as high demand exists across the sector.
He said mechanics are also in short supply, in Cork and Dublin in particular. He said:
“We have started and will continue with our intensive recruitment campaign.
“We are also working with agencies who have networks outside Ireland to try and recruit drivers from other countries and will need to step up this activity.
“However, low availability of suitable housing is hampering these efforts.”
Despite all their efforts, Bus Éireann “will need more personnel”, and Mr Kent said there is a role for other state agencies such as the Education Training Boards, Solas and the National Apprenticeship Office to help.
Mr Kent added: “Over the next three years, due to retirements and new services, I believe we will need well in excess of 2,000 drivers for PSO and School Transport services.
“This level of demand requires a more concerted and structured programme, directed at employment creation where there is huge demand and urgent need for drivers.” He warned that if the company can’t get the staff it needs, it will be “challenged in delivering the best possible service we can”.
He also said another challenge the company is trying to cope with is car congestion.
He said: “Lack of prioritisation measures outside of Dublin is a real challenge for Bus Éireann.
“Compounded by the growth in population, especially in our regional cities, meeting our punctuality targets is proving extremely difficult to do on at least 50% of our Public Service Obligation routes."
He said what is needed is major infrastructural change and “enforcement is needed for significant improvement”.
He added: “We can change timetables and do, but run times vary so much across the weekdays and weekends now as new travel patterns have developed due to hybrid working, that it is inevitable that we can run late on occasion when the bus is trapped in traffic.”
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