The bus driving license test is considered the biggest challenge for aspiring bus drivers. This D95 basic qualification test must be offered by the state of Tyrol at least four times a year. Due to a lack of staff on public buses, the driving test in Tirol currently takes place twelve times a year.
To further calm the situation and make it easier for interested parties to start their career as a bus driver, new measures are planned for 2024. These were decided in December by the state and the Tirol Chamber of Commerce and aim to simplify the procedures for examining the driver's license. bus driver.
Additional exam and digital registration days
These measures include additional exams, if necessary, and digital applications. Previously, candidates had to submit their application for the bus driving license exam in writing to the state governor three weeks before the date. This is expected to change in the future: interested parties will also have the opportunity To for the exam online. Furthermore, the three-week registration deadline may be exceeded in urgent cases if there are still places available for the exam date. It is also possible that examinees may be able to advance quickly if another candidate cancels their registration or is unable to attend.
Mathis Photography Bus door open for drivers: From 2024, the modalities for proving a driver's license will be simplified
The measures that have already been taken are working
As statistics from the state of Tyrol show, the measures already implemented are certainly having an effect. A social package was implemented last year that offers bus drivers a discounted climate ticket and a hardship fund. Furthermore, the controversial shared service was waived in new job advertisements.
These measures made the job of bus driver more attractive last year, according to a press release from the state of Tyrol. In 2023, 151 people across Tyrol took the bus driving test, around 50% more than in the previous year. “The increasing number of exam attempts makes me optimistic about the expansion of public transport”, emphasizes the state councilor responsible for transport, René Zumtobel (SPÖ).
Driving a bus as a student job
The number of applicants is also increasing at the Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe (IVB), explains operations manager Harald Jösslin: “We are currently hiring up to five new bus drivers every month. Due to imminent retirements, these are not yet enough to end the shortage.” For this reason, IVB quickly hired students as bus drivers. “For many students, bus driving is an attractive part-time, part-time to full-time job,” says the IVB operations manager happily.
ORF.at/Roland Winkler From the classroom to the bus: driving the bus as an attractive job for students
Already 20 students are part-time bus drivers
The Innsbruck transport company also offers work as a bus driver at the university and offers trial days for interested students. A bus driver's license is not mandatory, but is obtained as part of employment. Currently, around 20 students work part-time as bus drivers in Innsbruck. Hiring students is not a temporary solution, but has long-term potential, stresses Jösslin.
Due to staff shortages, Innsbruck still operates with reduced hours and longer breaks. If the staffing situation improves, we want to maintain this schedule for now and not immediately return to normal hours. This is good for easing the load on bus drivers, explains the IVB operations manager.