Disruption to bus services in Aberdeen due to driver shortage and illness

Several bus services operated by First Aberdeen were cancelled on Saturday due to driver shortages and illness.

First Aberdeen has had to cancel around 11 city services on Saturday, February 12.

Buses that were due to run served areas such as Northfield, Woodend, Torry and Heathryfold.

Due to the prevalence of Covid-19 and the nature of bus drivers coming into contact with the public daily, several drivers have had to self-isolate.

A staff shortage across the industry is also making it difficult for operators to staff all their services.

A survey by Unite the Union, released in November 2021, showed that bus driver shortages are getting worse.

Around 500 Unite activists working in bus garages across the UK took part in the survey which found that 99% of bus garages are short-staffed.

Respondents also acknowledged a steep rise in vacancies since the pandemic began in March 2020.

⚠️SERVICE UPDATE – 11⚠️

The below services will be unable to run today:

0859 from Northfield
1000 from Woodend
1056 from Northfield
1200 from Woodend
1256 from Northfield

So sorry for any issues this may cause on your journey.

— First Aberdeen (@FirstAberdeen) February 12, 2022

Similar trends can be seen with other operators such as Stagecoach in other cities including Inverness.

The Scottish Government is also being urged to scrap face masks following on from the UK Government’s position as the Omicron wave continues to decline.

A First Bus spokesman said: “As is being experienced across the bus industry, we have seen varying levels of driver shortages in some of our operating areas, similar to other road transport businesses.

“We are doing everything we can to maintain a comprehensive network of services that supports our customers and our communities.

“The majority of routes are running normally although in some areas we are making temporary timetable adjustments to ensure reliable service and minimise disruption.

“We thank customers for their patience and understanding while we overcome this short-term situation.”

To keep updates in any changes to bus timetables click here.