摘要: |
The driver shortage that caused operators to reduce frequencies, cancel journeys at short notice and abandon services last year was the latest manifestation of a problem that has plagued the bus industry for decades. Figures from the Department for Transport for September 2022 showed a 9.5% shortage of local bus drivers across Britain, ranging from 8% in England to 13% in Wales and 14% in Scotland. The figures within England ranged from 5% in the east and north-west to 10% in the west. One of many factors behind this was the delay in processing passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) driving licence applications. In the year to March 2022, the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) reported that driving tests were down by 56% on five years earlier, at 4,096. Processing the paperwork also was taking much longer than it should. |