Dublin Bus has hired almost 100 drivers from South Africa

Almost 100 drivers from South Africa have been hired by Dublin Bus in recent months as the company continues to look for new ways to fill vacant roles caused by staff turnover and expanding services.The company has previously recruited mechanics from Spain and the Philippines and says its workforce of 4,650, three-quarters of them drivers, includes staff from about 90 different countries of origin. Dublin Bus chief people officer Barbara Carroll says the company’s first recruitment drive in South Africa has resulted in 93 hires. The drivers, all of whom already possess the licences required to drive buses, are being brought to the Republic at the rate of six every week to facilitate migration and training requirements.“There is certain paperwork they need to do when they’re on the island of Ireland, get their Irish residence permit, complete their licence exchange … that’s part of the reason we went to South Africa – because there’s a licence exchange agreement. READ MORE“Also, it’s an English-speaking country and there’s a good strong pipeline of drivers. We’re working with an organisation that’s making sure they’re vetted and all of that. That’s all done over in South Africa, and then they come over to us so then they can go through our training.”Despite having the D licence required to drive a bus when only a B (car) licence is routinely required of new recruits, the drivers coming from South Africa spend longer in training than most due to the company, Carroll says, doing additional work on integration with them.Drivers arriving from overseas have accommodation provided for four weeks, “but after that they’re on their own”, she says. “So, it’s tough for them. They are on a training rate and they are very focused on getting through the system as quickly as they can.”Carroll says the shortage of drivers here is not just a problem for Dublin Bus. “There’s a national shortage, but we’re planning to continue the recruitment, about 200 drivers every year. Certainly for the foreseeable future.”