There is a serious shortage of bus drivers in local public transport. The situation is so tense that some companies are sometimes operating with emergency timetables or have to turn down bookings for school trips, for example, said the head of the Central German Bus Association, Mario König, in Erfurt on Tuesday. The federal association, according to which there is currently a shortage of almost 8,000 bus drivers in Germany, is therefore focusing on a reform of training. Companies in eastern Germany are increasingly recruiting lateral entrants.
The industry, primarily from Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg, will meet in Halle on Wednesday and Thursday. The main focus will be on the future of local public transport and the transport turnaround. According to the association, this can only be achieved by improving public transport services. Only a better service will create more demand, said association managing director Tilmann Wagenknecht.
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