Too few bus and train drivers: Companies are suffering from a lack of staff. This is shown by a survey. The situation is likely to get worse. However, the industry association sees a positive development.
Almost every second transport company in Germany is occasionally forced to temporarily restrict its operations due to staff shortages. This is the result of a representative survey by the industry association VDV. 135 companies were surveyed in March and April. Almost 43 percent stated that trips had to be cancelled in 2023 for staffing reasons.
There is a shortage of bus, tram and subway drivers across Germany. Three out of four transport companies recorded an increase in personnel requirements in 2023 compared to the previous year, as the survey shows. The association believes that the shortage of skilled workers will become even more severe.
This is also due to the fact that the average age of drivers is comparatively high at 51. According to the survey, by 2030 companies will have to replace almost a quarter of their drivers due to age. The VDV predicts that 4,000 to 6,000 employees will retire each year. According to the association, there is currently a shortage of 20,000 bus drivers alone.
What will it be like in the future?
This also poses a problem for the industry in terms of the transport transition: In order for more people to travel by bus or train in the future, transport companies must expand their services. This will require more staff. The companies expect demand to increase by 20 percent by 2030.
At least one development makes the industry association optimistic. “We are seeing an increased interest among applicants in working for buses and trains and more applications overall,” said VDV President Ingo Wortmann. According to the survey, almost 75 percent of companies hired more employees in 2023 than in the previous year.
In order to counteract the shortage of skilled workers, transport companies want to increase their attractiveness – for example with suitable working time models. At the moment, only 12 percent of employees work part-time, and less than 20 percent are female. There will also be a greater focus on recruiting staff from abroad. There is still a lot of potential here “that we can exploit together as an industry,” said Wortmann. Not only drivers are needed, but also engineers and IT specialists.
Source: Stern