School: children deprived of school buses

There is a shortage of nearly 8,000 bus and school coach drivers in France, leading to the suspension of several lines, particularly in Hauts-de-France. Parents are worried and already imagine having to get up earlier, make arrangements with other families or have recourse to grandparents to drive the children to school. The job of school bus driver no longer attracts, with its part-time schedules and long breaks between two services.

Thibault Vayron, director of operations of the Robin des Bus association, had to take the wheel again in the face of this labor shortage. “Normally, I won’t have to ride anymore. We only have beginners or retirees who come to work for a supplementary pension”, he enlightens. A situation that worries the local authorities. The Hauts-de-France region has organized a massive recruitment campaign, which will not be enough. “It takes at least five to six months to train a driver”, underlines Franck Dhersin, vice-president of the Hauts-de-France region in charge of transport. 10 to 15% of transport in the region should be impacted.