Bosses at embattled bus firm Xplore Dundee have revealed the key reasons drivers are leaving the industry – forcing hundreds of services to be cancelled.
More than 340 services have failed to run so far this week, leaving passengers stranded at stops on some occasions.
That is despite the firm introducing a reduced timetable on Monday in response to several factors, including rising costs and fewer customers.
Dundee drivers ‘among best-paid in Scotland’
Locals have hit out, branding the short-notice cancellations “shocking”.
Now, David Phillips, Xplore Dundee’s director and general manager, has written to politicians in the city to explain the situation.
The letter states bus drivers in Dundee are in the “top 10th percentile” for earnings in the “bus drivers’ pay league” in Scotland.
But addressing the number of drivers quitting the industry, Mr Phillips wrote: “Factors such as anti-social hours, congestion and having to juggle customer service with maintaining a timetable is more of a challenge than some wish to accept.
“Others leave to take up tour work, coach work, contract hire work or simply try a different company with different working practices.
“Some companies with the exact same processes and procedures have acute shortages in one geographical location, and no shortage in another.
We have overhauled our recruitment and training process to speed up the intake of new staff and we have no shortage of trainees
“[Xplore owner] McGill’s is seeing this phenomenon also.”
The comments come despite Xplore launching its own city tour service in April – and its involvement in a new long-distance coach service – with adverts put out for drivers to join these specific services earlier this year.
Mr Phillips has also set out the efforts the company is making to ensure it has enough drivers to go round.
Current staff ‘should be applauded’
He wrote: “We have overhauled our recruitment and training process to speed up the intake of new staff and we have no shortage of trainees.
“There is a lead time to train a new driver though and this process is what we are speeding up in order to make sure we are running every service advertised.
“Please be assured that we are working as hard as we can to get our staff levels up to par and run the service that the people of Dundee deserve.
“The depot in East Dock Street is full of people every day that come to work from early till late to deliver the best possible service to the people of Dundee.
“In short, they are committed and should be applauded. This situation is no reflection upon them.”
West End councillor Fraser Macpherson is among the politicians sent the letter – having received numerous complaints from constituents.
He said: “I know from constituent feedback that its very frustrating for passengers when the service they use is not running normally.
“I agree with Mr Phillips that Dundee bus drivers do a superb job and this situation is hardly of their making or that of the bus company.
“The company has given councillors an assurance that it is working as hard as it can to get its drivers staffing levels up and I hope it succeeds in doing so as soon as possible as this will help resolve the current problems.”
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