Coach without drivers: Dolomitibus raises the alarm in view of the resumption of the school

Public transport in serious difficulty: «Manpower emergency, a problem transversal to various sectors. But the public service is the priority ”, say from Dolomitibus and Provincia

BELLUNO. Bus drivers desperately sought. Dolomitibus and the Province have been working to ensure the public transport service since September. After having guaranteed the “Invest school” measure for another year, with subscriptions at a controlled price for students, a new problem arises, that of the lack of drivers.

«The shortage of manpower and therefore the scarcity of employees and the almost total impossibility of coping with the generational change is a problem recorded in a transversal manner by many sectors. Public transport warns him in a particular way, not only in Belluno, but throughout Italy », the top management of Dolomitibus noted. “After Covid, the criticalities have worsened in this sense, while passengers have decreased. We are paying for the long effects of the pandemic and more financial resources would be needed ».

Dolomitibus in particular has experienced a decline in the workforce in recent years. A situation that required considerable efforts to safeguard the service, preferring races aimed at students and workers. “The critical issues that have represented us from Dolomitibus are worrying, although shared by the entire public transport sector, even outside Belluno”, underlines Roberto Padrin, president of the Province and of the managing director for traffic and transport. “Precisely for this reason, the priority is to safeguard the service, so that in September, with the start of the school year, families can not only subscribe to” Invest school “, but also have buses and coaches available for cover the daily home-school journeys in an always efficient way, in addition of course to the other urban and extra-urban services ».

Beyond the immediacy, Dolomitibus and the Province continue to promote the Academy project, that is to say the training course conceived by the transport company to intercept young people from the area to be initiated into the profession of driver. The course provides that the training and achievement of the specific license (which takes about 6 months) is the responsibility of Dolomitibus. And that young people are hired already during training, with different tasks within the company. So far the Academy has not brought the hoped-for results, but we must insist »conclude from Dolomitibus. “This is a path that opens up certain professional opportunities and a safe workplace”.