Lack of drivers is putting a slam on our family coach business as wages rise
The lack of drivers is proving “catastrophic” for coach operators across the country, according to a family business.
Candice Mason, who runs Hertfordshire-based Mason Coaches, said the company was forced to increase wages by a fifth to bolster its workforce.
But this hasn’t been a silver bullet and instead staff are opting to work fewer hours.
“As an operator, there just aren’t enough bodies to cover the number of jobs,” Mason told the Mail. “What we found is that as we raised wages to try to attract more workers, it actually allowed people reduce the hours they were working.
The situation highlights the problems facing companies across the country as they struggle to fill 1.02 million job openings, with many raising wages to attract talent.
Staff shortages: Candice Mason (pictured), who runs Hertfordshire-based Mason Coaches, said the company was forced to increase wages by a fifth to bolster its workforce
Median wages in the UK are rising at a record rate of 7.8%, fueling inflation fears.
But Mason said the shift in mindset in the wake of the pandemic meant more people were demanding a better work-life balance, with some cutting back on their hours.
On average, Mason Coaches drivers work about 45 hours a week, down from the 56 hours they worked before covid hit.
And while the company initially expected it would take six years for business to return to pre-pandemic levels, it now feels like more than a decade.
The 30-year-old company has been forced to sell two coaches so far this year and turn down much-needed work during peak summer seasons.
Founded in 1988 by George and Pam Mason, the company has evolved from transporting schoolchildren to managing a fleet of 20 coaches across the country.
Candice married into the family business and helped run the business for ten years with her husband James Mason.
“It’s terrible,” he told BBC Radio 4. “It’s not just me, it’s all the operators I talk to.” We simply cannot hire and staff our companies adequately.’
A spokesman for the Confederation of Passenger Transport, the UK’s coach and bus industry trade association, said: “With coach operators reporting full order books for intercity travel, holidays, concerts, sports and school trips, the Driver shortages are preventing the sector from meeting the high passenger demand for long-distance journeys.’
Since the pandemic, companies across the country have struggled to put staff behind the wheel as interest in the profession wanes and experienced drivers choose to retire.
And while the shortage of Heavy Vehicle (HGV) drivers made headlines last year, there is a national coach driver shortage of 12.5 percent, the figures suggest.
