First Aberdeen bosses have admitted that an “unprecedented” number of bus drivers have quit in the last year – with one worker claiming up to 120 have left their roles.
It has been a turbulent year for the bus company, following a lengthy dispute over changes to drivers’ terms and conditions which resulted in strike action.
And later this week, three night-bus services will be scrapped, with routes or timings changed on another four services, due to “horrendously low” passenger numbers.
Last night, one bus driver claimed as many as 120 drivers have left First Aberdeen in the last year and that he could understand why passengers were so disgruntled.
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He described morale at the firm as being at a “very low ebb”, and said: “That helps explain why more than 120 drivers have left the company in the last year and why there are so many drivers coming up from Glasgow and Leeds, who don’t know this part of the country at all.
“Overall, management don’t seem to care or have any ideas how to change things for the better, except by cutting services which has the completely opposite effect.
“They are ‘yes’ men to the so-called bigger fish down south. Schedules are formulated by people in Glasgow and there is a lack of appreciation of how important many of these routes are. How on earth do they know how long it takes to get from Torry to Heathryfold, for instance?
“There is also the attitude that every single route has to make a profit. You can’t run what is supposed to be a public service on that basis.
“I don’t blame the controllers up here who are trying to deal with a difficult situation. They, along with us, have been shafted.”
First Aberdeen’s depot operations manager, David Adam, admitted there had been problems with staffing levels following the strike.
He said: “First Aberdeen identified an issue regarding our driver numbers within the depot over the past few months, but we have worked hard to resolve these issues.
“We have had an unprecedented amount of turnover in drivers this year for a number of reasons, but we have now redressed the balance with people coming in the door.
“Drivers are a key component for our business and we are always looking to recruit and attract new people to fill these vital frontline customer-facing roles.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers by any possible minor disruptions in the interim period.”
On Friday, the late-night buses between Northfield and Torry, Holburn Junction and Dyce, and Kincorth and Cove will stop.
First said the move was due to low passenger numbers, and stressed some routes are being altered to ensure passengers can still get home safely after dark.
Aberdeen City Council’s Labour group want to bring in a council-operated bus service similar to Edinburgh’s Lothian Buses, claiming it will be cheaper for commuters and more efficient.
Last night, Kincorth, Cove and Nigg councillor Sarah Duncan said the latest claims strengthed the case for such a move.
She said: “It’s a real shame that some First Bus services are being withdrawn. Unfortunately a de-regulated bus service has a higher risk of this happening and is one of the reasons why I support the council‘s call for the law to be changed to allow the council to provide bus services.
“I’m also aware of staffing issues at the company since the strike and I am not surprised that some people are cynical about the reasons for the service reductions.
“It’s one thing to withdraw a route because it has very low passenger numbers.
“It’s quite a different matter if the public has a reduced or unreliable service because the operator has poor industrial relations and can’t attract or retain bus drivers.
“That situation is entirely within First’s control.”
The leader of Aberdeen City Council’s SNP group, Stephen Flynn, said he wasn’t surprised there was widespread disenchantment with First Aberdeen.
He added: “A combination of high fares, all too frequent service cuts and the impact of the strikes has left a bad taste in the mouth of many bus users – and understandably so.
“I would love to see a situation where the buses were returned to being a truly public service, but we do have to be conscious of the challenges of achieving this aim.
“In the meantime, we need to try and work constructively to convince bus operators that the needs of the people should outweigh the desire for profit.”