Bus driver shortage causing challenges for transport providers

Bus operators are having difficulty in recruiting bus drivers, two separate speakers said at the February monthly meeting of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad.

Damien O’Neill, manager of Transport for Ireland (TFI) Local Link, and National Transport Authority (NTA) representative John Nott both said that the issue comes up for consideration as they plan routes.

“Bus drivers are like gold dust: if you can find one, you try to hold on tight – and another thing is the difficulty in getting new vehicles,” Mr O’Neill said during his presentation on Local Link services in Westmeath. Mr Nott made a similar point, and said a challenge the NTA face as in developing the new Mullingar Town Bus service is where to find the 16-17 drivers that will need.

Cllr Hazel Smyth asked if there was anything the Local Link service could do in terms of encouraging people to apply for and obtain bus driving licences. “I come from a family of bus drivers,” she said, adding that having a bus licence would open up opportunities for people to obtain even part-time work.

Responding, Mr O’Neill said the NTA has carried out a campaign looking for drivers: “What we would find is – on a global level as much as anything else – that since the pandemic, people want a better work life balance; they don’t want to work late,” Mr O’Neill said, describing bus-driving as a good career.

On the negative side, there can be frustrations: “Because people are frustrated [since] the pandemic, we would find a lot more angry people. ‘The bus was two minutes late; the bus was the wrong colour; the bus driver didn’t smile at me’: those are complaints I have actually received,” he stated.

Mr O’Neill said the Local Link service had its genesis in south Westmeath in 2002. Formerly under the authority of Pobal, it is now under the NTA and has 15 Transport Coordination Units (TCUs) covering Longford, Westmeath and Roscommon.

Local Link runs two types of services – a fixed route between towns and villages at scheduled times, and a door to door service along a fixed route but, from which it can deviate. The first, which is not bookable, runs about three services a day in each direction 5-6 or seven days a week. At present, there are none in Westmeath, but it is served by the door-to-door service, which is bookable.

Mr O’Neill said there has been a decline in service numbers since the pandemic, and other challenges include the Ukrainian crisis.

He also spoke of the paucity of bus infrastructure in rural areas and urged the council to do what it can in that regard.

Mr O’Neill said Local Link is currently reviewing all services and working on its website. It will again be involved in transport during the fleadh.

“We are working with the NTA on the Connecting Ireland plan: it is an excellent plan and they are building on it all the time,” he stated.

Mr O’Neill told councillors that the return fares charged by Local Link are €4; for students and young people, €2; children travel free and free travel passes are accepted.

“We have to keep getting the message out there that public transport is better for the environment, although there are limitations to it and it will not always be the shortest route,” he said.

Welcoming the development of bus services, Cllr Smyth it was important as Mullingar works towards decarbonisation. “As part of that, there is a real move toward sustainable travel,” she said.

Cllr Denis Leonard spoke about the needs of elderly people living in isolated rural areas and was the best way for local representatives to get routes reviewed in areas where they see deficiencies.

Cllr Aoife Davitt wondered about a regular service to Belvedere and to the Hill of Uisneach and serving the local hotels.

Cllr Emily Wallace spoke of how crucial bus services are to enable older people who are no longer driving, to maintain their independence, while Cllr Frank McDermott pointed out that there may be a link-in with onward services for people needing to attend medical appointments in Dublin, but that is not always the case on the way home.