Stagecoach West is to recruit 150 new bus drivers over the coming 12 months, with the operator having taken the decision to outsource the necessary training in a departure from its previous policy of in-house licence acquisition.
The business has appointed training specialist HGVC to handle the process, describing the decision to contract the task to a third party as beneficial to both efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
HGVC has already implemented what it describes as a bespoke training solution to deliver three new drivers per week to Stagecoach West. That includes hiring dedicated trainers and the purchase of vehicles.
Says Stagecoach West Operations Director Martin Gibbon: “As people continue to return to the office and enjoy the freedom we have all missed during the pandemic, we have seen an increase in demand for our services across several routes.
“While this comes at a time where we are seeing the impact of Brexit, the pandemic and staff sickness on our driving teams ease, we recognised that we needed some support to meet the needs of our customers.
“HGVC really stood out to us in its willingness to hire new staff and provide vehicles to train the drivers we need, making large scale driving licence acquisition more efficient and cost-effective.”
