Crisis season continues. Many staff now sit at home as their employers make use of the government’s furlough scheme. Others remain at work, albeit with few passengers to carry.
Still others are not as fortunate. routeone is aware of one operator that has unceremoniously served at least some of its staff with notice that their services are no longer required. Thoughtfully, it added that it may wish to engage them again once the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has passed.
But that apart, what has rapidly become noticeable is that a lot of front-line staff have been willing to put themselves in harm’s way since the scale of the virus outbreak became apparent.
That is something that should not just be appreciated. It should be celebrated. Easy – and understandable – would have been the choice to withdraw. One would hope that the industry becomes a better place for those staff when it returns to normal.
While the furlough scheme is welcome for operators who have seen business decrease dramatically, it comes with the risk that employees with other vocational driving licences find work elsewhere in the meantime and opt not to return to the industry.
But even if that does happen, don’t forget the way in which drivers, engineers and staff from many other disciplines have likely gone above and beyond for you since the pandemic hit.
All-night, last-ditch overhauls of timetables and duties. Carrying key workers to their places of employment. Undertaking PMIs as scheduled. Every other task that is necessary to run coaches and buses: Those people are a resource that the industry should be immensely proud of.
