Local traffic - Bus association: shortage of skilled workers threatens the transport turnaround
Local public transport is in a dilemma: on the one hand, services are to be expanded, but on the other, there is already a massive shortage of drivers. According to the state association of Hessian bus companies, around ten percent of jobs are unfilled, with around 1,000 vacancies on the roads in Hesse alone. The situation is no better on the railways. "I see this as a threat to the transport turnaround," Volker Tuchan, Managing Director of the State Association of Hessian Bus Companies based in Giessen, told the German Press Agency.
Due to staff shortages, the city of Frankfurt, among others, has announced that it will be cutting back on bus, train and streetcar services. Tuchan fears that other cities and districts could follow suit. This would be particularly painful in rural areas: "If the bus comes every twelve minutes instead of every ten minutes in the city, that's different to if a bus that runs once an hour is canceled."
Staff shortages are also a concern for Deutsche Bahn(DB), which is changing its timetable this Sunday (December 10). According to DB, it is creating "more new long-distance connections than it has for 20 years". Because more and more trains are available, DB can "offer more and faster connections as well as significantly more seats between the major cities". Whether they actually run depends on staff. The company recently explained that, as in other sectors, it is difficult to recruit staff. Regionally, this could lead to a tense personnel situation.
Federal Association of Local Rail Transport State Association of Hessian Bus Companies
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Source: www.stern.de
