Over half of coach and bus drivers find their work rewarding and the role provides seven of the top 10 things that employees value most, research commissioned by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has shown.
CPT’s work is part of a coach and bus driver recruitment awareness campaign it launched on 18 October. It is known as Thank You Driver, or in Wales and the South West of England, Cheers Drive. Two websites – thankyoudriver.org and cheersdrive.org, respectively – have been established to host vacancies.
The Confederation is majoring on the rewarding nature of a job as a coach or bus driver as part of the campaign. It says that people in the role are the “UK’s most thanked workers,” adding that they receive such recognition 37 times per day on average. That is five times more than the average worker. Feeling unappreciated is second only to salary in gripes among staff, research has shown.
CPT says that there is currently a 10% driver vacancy rate across the industry, but it adds that 90% of the 1,158 drivers surveyed in September said that a ‘thank you’ positively affects their wellbeing.
Being appreciated was cited as being one of the best things about being a coach or bus driver. In addition to the sense of reward experienced by over half of those in the role, the other elements of value that it delivers include meeting lots of different people, working without supervision, serving the community, a good work/life balance, and training opportunities, CPT says.
The survey of drivers has also found that one in 10 have fulfilled a childhood dream by becoming a bus driver, while almost 25% entered after being made redundant or losing another job. One in seven said they joined to have greater freedom.
CPT believes that 90% of adults have the skills necessary to become a coach or bus driver, including reliability, the wherewithal to function without supervision, problem solving capability, strength in remaining calm under pressure, and strong interpersonal skills.
