Bus services are having to be cancelled or delayed in Swansea Bay and beyond as staff shortages, rising Covid infections and mechanical issues bite. Ever since lockdown lifted, bus companies, like many other organisations, have struggled for staff.
Back in April, First Cymru cancelled more than 80 bus journeys in the city due to "operational difficulties" and a shortage of drivers - and now, three months later, it seems both of these issues are still affecting people's journeys across the city. On July 4, 30 miles worth of journeys provided by First Cymru across Swansea were lost due to a "mechanical issue," whilst Adventure Travel Cymru had to cancel a busy Swansea to Gower route on July 2, the first day of the Wales Airshow 2022, due to a "high level of sickness" among its staff. You can get more Swansea stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
To counteract the low numbers of staff and high rate of Covid, which First Cymru said was not unique to the firm, the company has said it is actively recruiting trainee and qualified bus drivers in Swansea, as well as in Bridgend, Haverfordwest and Port Talbot. The company was also planning its routes on a weekly and daily basis, staff said, to ensure it had "back-up drivers" and so that no area saw significantly more services cancelled than any other.
Meanwhile, fellow Welsh bus company, Adventure Travel Cymru, said it had recruited "agency drivers" for routes it otherwise wouldn't be able to run. The company apologised for not being able to run one particular journey on July 2, but praised its colleagues for keeping services running "in very testing circumstances". For more stories about travelling in Wales, go here
Commenting on the impact of mechanical issues and staff shortages in Swansea, a spokesperson for First Cymru said: "First Cymru are, like so many companies in Wales and across the UK, facing unprecedented challenges as a result of rising Covid infections and staff shortages. In our sector this has impacted on shortages of bus drivers.
"We are confident, though, that the measures [we] have in place - a very strong, proactive recruitment campaign, meticulous route planning to ensure no one area is hit especially hard if disruption occurs, and clear customer communications - are minimising problems and lost miles and ensuring customers are kept up-to-date and able to access a strong service where they live."
Commenting on the cancelled number 14 service from Swansea Quadrant to Pennard in Gower on the afternoon of July 2, a spokesperson for Adventure Travel Cymru said: "We suffered a much higher level of sickness than usual at one depot on Saturday and whilst we managed to cover all bar one journey, the one journey in question did unfortunately fail to operate. Any passengers who were inconvenienced as a result of this cancellation will be able to submit a taxi receipt for recompense.
"It is widely reported that many operators are struggling to run buses reliably at present due to staff shortages. Whilst we are short of drivers too, the hard work of our supervisory teams and the temporary addition of some agency drivers has meant that we have generally been able to meet our commitments in full, with the exception of four to six weeks in summer, 2021, when we struggled greatly with Covid-related absences.
"We are proud of the incredible work that our colleagues are doing to keep buses running in very testing circumstances, but we apologise for the missed journey on Saturday."
How to apply to work as a bus driver
First Cymru is recruiting trainee and qualified bus drivers in Swansea. Prospective employees need to be aged 18 or over and have a full UK driving license with at least six months' driving experience (with no more than six points) - but it's fine if you've never driven anything bigger than a car before.
Contracts are for 39-hours per week, with additional overtime opportunities if desired, and employees earn between £22,000 and £24,000 per year. If you need to train to be a bus driver, all your training will be paid for and you will be paid a weekly wage while you're training, the firm says. To apply to be a bus driver for First Cymru in Swansea, visit the company's website here.
Adventure Travel is also recruiting drivers. The firm says more drivers are needed now more than ever as passenger numbers return to pre-pandemic levels and, on some routes, even surpassing 2019 figures.
The company is looking to recruit PCV (passenger carrying vehicle) drivers and trainee positions. Adventure Travel Cymru is offering paid on-the-job training for new trainee bus drivers, as well as increased pay rates and other company benefits. PCV drivers will also be offered a joining bonus of £1,250 for new employees.
Recruitment manager for Adventure Travel, Lauryn Tunnell said: “Following two years of ups and downs throughout the pandemic, we are now emerging on the other side and are seeing some bus routes recovering well whereas some others not so well. The overall picture is encouraging but we need new drivers and cleaners to ensure that we can keep up with demand.
"With passengers now returning to public transport and several key contract wins for Adventure Travel, we are in a position where we need to expand our team as well as replacing agency workers who were employed during nationwide driver shortages with permanent employees." To apply to be a trainee bus driver or a PCV driver, visit the careers page of the company's website here.
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