Stagecoach to recruit Ukrainian refugees to drive region’s buses
STAGECOACH is hoping to recruit Ukrainian refugees to drive buses in Gloucestershire and across the South West. It is holding a bus driver recruitment day aimed at refugees who have left their country following the Russian invasion and are now in the UK.
It will be held in Bristol on tomorrow and seeks to recruit drivers to work across the region. It is being held in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions.
Stagecoach has struggled to run timetabled services in Gloucestershire due to driver shortages. It has in the past blamed illness and recruitment issues linked to the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit.
Stagecoach said a change in government legislation has resulted in Ukrainian refugees receiving immediate settlement status and the opportunity to work in the UK straight away.
Those who attend must have been assessed by the Department for Work and Pensions on the basis of having a driver’s licence and a good understanding of English written and verbal communication skills that are essential for the positions offered. It is being held at Stagecoach West’s Bristol Depot tomorrow at Stagecoach West, Pegasus Park, Gipsy Patch Lane, Little Stoke, Bristol BS34 6QD between 10am and 2pm. Stagecoach said the event is being held in Bristol but it’s to recruit drivers for across the whole Stagecoach region.
Rachel Geliamassi, managing director, Stagecoach West says: “We’re delighted to be a part of this initiative which not only supports Ukrainians but could very well help us find some much-needed team members. We pride ourselves on a friendly, inclusive working environment and welcome applications from all. We have a really close-knit team in Bristol with plenty of friendly faces to welcome you”
Drivers receive a salary of £13.75 per hour (Monday to Friday), £14.00 per hour on Saturdays and £15.70 per hour on Sundays and are guaranteed a minimum of 38 hours per week with the opportunity to earn even more with overtime. In addition, drivers enjoy flexible shifts, a company pension scheme and 20 days of holiday (plus bank holidays).
Meanwhile, the immediate future of a park and ride in Cheltenham appears to have been secured after a bus company said it would be the new operator. There had been a doubt about whether the service would continue after November 27, when Stagecoach will stop running the Arle Court site as part of various services in Gloucestershire that it is withdrawing.
The county council said it was working to replace as many of those services as possible, including the park and ride at Arle Court.
Now Gloucester-based Bennetts Coaches says it has got the job of ferrying people to and from the edge of Cheltenham to the town centre.
It said it had been awarded a 12-month contract by the county council, with its buses running the service from Monday November 28 – meaning passengers would not experience a break in the service.
Gavin Bennett, its managing director, said: “We require four drivers and have already recruited two of them. We’ve had some applications in and will be using some of our existing staff until we fill the vacancies. This is good news for a small family business and good news for the passengers too, but a quick turnaround for us. Drivers have to give notice with their existing employers, so if I have to be out there driving a vehicle, that’s what I’ll do! That’s what a family business does to support its customers.”
Gloucestershire County Council has yet to comment on the matter but its councillor for the area, Roger Whyborn, said on Facebook that the 93 Park & Ride service had been “saved using Bennetts Coaches”.