“To address the driver shortage in Europe, we must think in terms of solutions instead of problems,” says Paul Cremers, chair of Global Passenger Network (GPN) Belgium and owner of Staf Cars. “That means we have to focus much more on ‘pride of ownership’ and ‘driver support’.”
According to Paul Cremers, the shortage of bus and coach drivers has been dragging on for far longer than today. “It has to do with the lack of training and the fact that we are missing school leavers between 18 and 21. For years we invested far too little in that, and in doing so we helped create the shortage ourselves. In the years before the COVID pandemic, we at Staf Cars recruited Bulgarians, Poles, and Portuguese.
“Afterwards we started looking for staff outside the European Union and hired around forty drivers from the Philippines. They are used to delivering quality service, they have a strong work ethic, and they speak good English. On top of that, we noticed they actively participated in the Dutch language courses we organized. From that perspective, I believe bringing in employees from outside the European Union is part of the solution. In addition, we work closely with the Flemish Employment Service, which organizes training to become a bus driver.”
Driver support
“Because we have enough good drivers, we can count on quite a few spontaneous applications,” says Paul Cremers. “That has everything to do with ‘pride of ownership’, with well-being at work. Good employment conditions, contracts, and working hours are one element. Of course, it’s also about investing in solid equipment.
“But you must also invest in your people, and that has never really existed in the bus sector in the past. In small and medium-sized family companies there is an owner or managing director, but there’s no full-fledged human resources department and no well-being policy like you see in very large companies. That’s why we created a ‘driver support’ department at Staf Cars. Organizationally, it sits between administration, traffic management, and drivers. Four staff members are there for our drivers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They offer a listening ear, are solution-oriented, and provide help where needed. Drivers want to be heard, and you can’t neglect that.”
The full picture
“ ‘Pride of ownership’ is the sum of many measures and initiatives,” continues Paul Cremers. “The full picture has to be right, not only operationally, but also in terms of communication to and with the drivers. We have to be there for our customers and our drivers. We must think about their training, career planning, and the flexibility they want. A driver should also be able to take holidays when he or she wants. They want regularity in their lives, or perhaps to do international trips for a few years and then drive more locally. Others want more variety. We have to offer them those opportunities,” says Paul Cremers.
Stronger lobbying in Europe
The accessibility of low-emission zones and cities has been a bottleneck for many years. “Incomprehensible,” says Paul Cremers. “A study by the German Environmental Agency showed that the climate emissions of a long-distance coach with a Euro 6 diesel engine are the same as those of a high-speed train, 31 gram/passenger/kilometer. I don’t understand why coaches should be punished. Because emissions in city traffic are 96 grams per passenger-kilometer, we need to focus on hybrid coaches that run on diesel for long stretches and switch to electric driving in cities. That solves the problem. Our sector must lobby much more strongly in the European Union to position the coach as the greenest mode of transport.”