• In France, there is currently a shortage of 8,000 school bus drivers, including 1,000 for the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

  • A “catastrophic and unprecedented” situation for the profession which predicts a difficult return to school.

  • In the region, 30,000 students will be affected by the shortage.

According to the profession, the situation is “catastrophic” and “unprecedented”.

Currently, France lacks 8,000 drivers in school transport.

"We would need to recruit 15,000," said Jean-Sébastien Barrault, president of the National Federation of Passenger Transport (FNTV).

That is to say if the workforce is lacking.

In this respect, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region is no exception.

A thousand drivers are currently missing.

That is 10% of the workforce.

“We already know that the return to school in September is going to be complicated.

Clearly, we will not have enough drivers”, predicts Michel Seyt, co-president of the FNTV in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes who estimates at “30,000 the number of children who will be impacted” in the region.

Lack of attractiveness

For the past ten years, the sector has been cruelly struggling to recruit.

But the situation has worsened with the health crisis.

“Many drivers have preferred to go into road transport of goods or move towards other trades”, observes Pascal Favre, regional co-president of the FNTV.

The loss of staff amounts to 4%.

But "the problem is not only cyclical", according to Michel Seyt.

“It takes time and resources to train drivers.

But above all, we need candidates, ”he points out.

However, there are now fewer and fewer volunteers.

Especially the young people who do not jostle at the gate.

Salaries that are too low, part-time work, early morning hours… The job is no longer considered attractive.

And that is the problem.

“The salary of school transport drivers depends on the number of hours worked and not on an hourly rate.

The job requires them to drive in the morning and late afternoon, but not for a whole day.

We are therefore very often on part-time.

And then, they don't work 175 days a year because of the holidays,” admits Pascal Favre.

“Since the health crisis, it has indeed been difficult to attract candidates to apply for a part-time job offer split three to four hours a day”, abounds Michel Seyt.

What solutions for families?

Today, the profession is up against the wall.

Wages have been increased by 5% but this is still insufficient to upgrade the profession.

Hence the need to look to alternative solutions, such as forging links with other companies so that drivers can hold two jobs or spread out school hours to serve more establishments.

“It will take several years to solve the problem,” laments Michel Seyt.

In the meantime, tens of thousands of schoolchildren risk finding themselves on the floor in September.

What solutions for families?

On this point, the Region is struggling to respond.

“For those whose children could no longer take the bus, we are thinking about a system of aid per kilometer”, indicates Paul Vidal, regional adviser in charge of school and interurban transport.

"On our side, we will try to limit the breakage by soliciting drivers of tourist coaches, by rotating our frames, explains Pascal Favre.

We can also set up a degraded service which consists of running one coach for two services rather than two coaches for two services.

“Answer to the start of the school year…

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