Metrobus West Sussex recruits new bus drivers

To improve this, Metrobus is looking to recruit more bus drivers to help maintain the bus services across its network.

Reason for the bus driver shortage

Crawley has a problem with buses. Our readers responded strongly to our previous articles on complaints made against Metrobus and we thought we would explore deeper into the issue.

See more: Metrobus chief responds to complaints of delays and cancellations in Crawley

The Covid-19 pandemic has prevented Metrobus from delivering its usual high standards of bus services.

Self-isolation has affected the number of drivers that are available for duty, which has caused bus services to be delayed or even cancelled.

Metrobus receive complaints due to staff shortages

At the height of the disruption to bus services, many passengers of Metrobus were waiting for long periods of time for buses that didn’t arrive.

Many people had to continue commuting throughout the pandemic and due to the bus disruption, commuters were often late for work. This affected their day-to-day job and mental health.

Assistant Head Teacher and regular Metrobus commuter Clive Coombes, wrote a complaint to Metrobus on Wednesday, January 12 about the disruption to the Number three bus.

"I am sympathetic with regards to staffing shortages." he said. "However, I am less than sympathetic about the information which Metrobus provides.

"They have a website, a Facebook page, a Twitter account and an app and yet passengers are still left scratching their heads as to whether their particular service is running or not."

Metrobus’ response

Metrobus responded to Mr Coombes' complaint and advised that due to the Government’s Track and Trace app, many of its drivers had to self-isolate.

Customer Support Supervisor at Brighton & Hove Buses & Metrobus Jordan Cole said: “Currently, we are facing gaps in service, owing to drivers being told to isolate via the NHS Track & Trace App and this is causing, as seen, severe delays to services at this time.”

Could Manchester provide the answer?

Transport for Great Manchester has taken back control of their bus network, which is operated locally and now run by a franchising system. This gives TfGM more control over how their buses are managed.

Giving local authority greater control of the city’s bus network will greatly benefit passenger numbers in Manchester as it will reduce chaotic services and eliminate expensive fares

This model will benefit bus passengers by providing simple, affordable tickets, which could be used to improve bus access to Crawley residents.

Learn more about what Manchester are doing here: Greater Manchester is changing the way that buses are run

How Metrobus are dealing with the shortage of drivers?

Metrobus wants to reduce the shortage by recruiting new drivers to its fleet.

Go-Ahead; the company that owns Metrobus, needs 3,052 drivers employed to fully service each bus route.

See also: Metrobus drivers share their experiences with new recruits ahead of recruitment drive

There are currently 30 vacancies for drivers and Metrobus is using recruitment days to get local people to apply for it's roles.

Metrobus wants to employ people from all different backgrounds and is interested in people with customer service backgrounds.

We visited one of their recruitment days to get a taste of what is involved with being a bus driver.

Deputy Recruitment & Training Coordinator Dean Lefevre said: “The transport industry across the country is currently experiencing a shortage of drivers and we are no exception to that.

“So we’ve started holding regular recruitment events to engage with local people who would like to find out more about the company and the role of the driver. We want to encourage more people into the industry, so we can continue to provide a frequent and reliable service to the local community.

“The events are designed to allow people to pop along for an informal chat with the team, ask questions about the role and find out first hand what’s it like to work for the company.

“Some of the perks of the job are secure employment, opportunities for progression in the company as well as a basic salary to up to £28,000 after the qualifying period. You can top it up with overtime and shift enhancements.”

On the day, we got the opportunity to speak to a trainer, who themselves have been through Metrobus’ development programme.

Trainer for Metrobus Rebecca Beagley said: “I started as a bus driver in 2012, got my licence here and about five years ago I applied to be a driving instructor and now I’ve progressed to being a instructor for Metrobus, which I enjoy.

“My advice to new bus drivers is give it a go, don’t be scared. We are here to help you learn to drive. It’s a skill not many people have and it’s a nice skill to have.”

If you are interested in becoming a bus driver, you can attend one of the recruitment days or just get in contact with Metrobus for an informal chat. You can get more details by visiting their website at: https://www.metrobus.co.uk/careers