The boss of Bristol’s biggest bus company has appealed for more people to consider becoming bus drivers - after explaining the extent of the shortage of drivers in the city.
Doug Claringbold, the managing director of First Bus West of England, said that at some points over the past few months, staff from HGV driver agencies have been waiting outside Bristol bus station and depots trying to recruit bus drivers to switch to driving lorries instead.
He said that the company started a huge recruitment drive as bus services returned to near normal again as Covid restrictions eased, but are only now getting to the point where they are recruiting as many new drivers as they are seeing existing drivers leave.
