Job market information
Finding out about the bus industry
The bus industry is represented by People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism. The passenger transport sector incorporates rail, aviation, bus and coach, taxi and private hire, light rail and metro, driver training, and UK waterways. The sector accounts for 735,000 jobs, most of which are within the bus and coach, taxi and private hire, rail, and aviation industries. The passenger transport sector includes a wide variety of roles, from pilots and transport planners, to essential support roles in finance, marketing and human resources.
The bus industry provides scheduled transport services in cities, towns and villages across the UK. A large number of those working in the industry are employed as bus drivers. There are also jobs in customer service, engineering and maintenance, together with jobs ensuring the delivery of services, such as planners, staff supervisors and administrators.
Key facts:
- There are around 212,000 people working in the bus industry.
- The average age of employees is 45 years.
- In 2008/09, over 4,701 million journeys were made by bus and light rail, with numbers increasing.
Jobs in the industry fall into the following areas:
- Passenger services – such as customer services agent, passenger support assistant, conductor, operational support (i.e. in planning, performance management or marketing and sales)
- Driving – such as bus drivers, team leaders, shift supervisors, scheduler, performance manager
- Operations and service delivery – such as administrative staff (in planning, HR, marketing and sales or performance monitoring), assistant manager, transport manager
- Engineering – such as technician, master technician, engineer, team leader, mentor, supervisor, mechanic, fitter.
Entry and progression
For most entry level jobs in operations and service delivery and passenger services, there are no specific academic requirements other than a sound basic education. For some service planning and monitoring jobs, bus companies may look for a higher level of maths or statistical ability. It is fairly common for people to move between certain areas of work in the industry. For instance, drivers may move into planning, operations and service delivery roles and vice versa.
Drivers must obtain a category D driving licence (for passenger carrying vehicles) and must also achieve a certificate of professional competence before they can drive commercially. Training can be undertaken with a bus company, or independently with a specialist driving instructor. Intensive training programmes enable people to obtain the correct licence and certificate within approximately eight weeks.
Engineers can be recruited as trainees or as experienced mechanics or technicians. Applicants are usually expected to have had some basic education in engineering, such as a GCSE or entry level award in engineering or technology. For more experienced positions, applicants are usually expected to have relevant related work experience, such as car mechanic.
There are a range of industry endorsed courses, apprenticeships (in bus engineering), training schemes and vocational qualifications.
For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.
Workforce statistics
| Number of UK employees: |
212,000 |
|---|
| Number of UK employers: |
5,200 |
|---|
| [N.B. The following data are for the bus and coach industry combined.] |
| Gender: |
80% male |
20% female |
|---|
| Age: |
the average of an employee is 45 years |
|---|
| 23% of the workforce is over 55 years |
Employment trends and future prospects
The industry is influenced by passenger demand, which has increased since 2000, especially in London. Also, technological advancements are important as there is a need to introduce new technology to meet noise and pollution output restrictions. Many operators are looking to enhance bus performance through more environmentally friendly engine systems. There is also an increased use of technology in buses, with automatic fare machines and pass readers, CCTV and GPS tracking are in regular use.
There are concerns as a large number of older employees are approaching, or have reached, retirement age, but there are not enough experienced employees to replace them.
Skill requirements and shortages
The main skills gaps in the bus industry are:
- Foreign languages (24%)
- Job related IT (21%)
- Safety and accident management (15%)
Other skills where there are perceived shortages include customer service skills and driver training.
Occupational trends
The UK bus industry is made up of several large employers, which run many franchise operations, and other smaller, more local operators. The industry struggles with recruitment and retention. The main areas of vacancies are in driving and engineering.
National and regional data
[N.B. Regional data presented are for the bus and coach industry and the passenger transport sector as a whole. Data derived from the Labour Force Survey, 2007.]
East Midlands – There are 15,400 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 14% of the workforce in the region is female. 14% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 62% is 26-49 years and 32% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; Welsh language; job related IT; and safety/accident management.
East of England – There are 20,300 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 25% of the workforce in the region is female. 9% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 7% of the workforce is under 25 years, 52% is 26-49 years and 41% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; job related IT; Welsh language; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.
London – There are 43,600 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 20% of the workforce in the region is female. 42% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 4% of the workforce is under 25 years, 70% is 26-49 years and 26% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; foreign languages; safety/accident management; booking operations; and logistics and scheduling of services.
North East – There are 9,200 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 17% of the workforce in the region is female. 3% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 51% is 26-49 years and 41% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; Welsh language; and safety/accident management.
North West – There are 30,000 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 16% of the workforce in the region is female. 14% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 61% is 26-49 years and 33% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; disability awareness; Welsh language; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.
South East – There are 29,700 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 25% of the workforce in the region is female. 11% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 48% is 26-49 years and 36% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; and job related IT.
South West – There are 19,400 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 19% of the workforce in the region is female. 4% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 4% of the workforce is under 25 years, 56% is 26-49 years and 40% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; job related IT; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.
West Midlands – There are 12,700 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 19% of the workforce in the region is female. 27% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 7% of the workforce is under 25 years, 65% is 26-49 years and 28% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; safety/accident management; foreign languages; maths/working with numbers; and disability awareness.
Yorkshire and the Humber – There are 23,000 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 13% of the workforce in the region is female. 18% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 62% is 26-49 years and 30% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; job related IT; and Welsh language.
Northern Ireland – There are 4,400 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 21% of the workforce in the region is female. Data are unavailable on the ethnicity of the workforce. 9% of the workforce is under 25 years, 74% is 26-49 years and 17% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; safety/accident management; job related IT; and disability awareness.
Scotland – There are 21,900 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 16% of the workforce in the region is female. 2% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 56% is 26-49 years and 36% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; and disability awareness.
Wales – There are 11,300 people working in the bus and coach industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 18% of the workforce in the region is female. 4% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 54% is 26-49 years and 38% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: Welsh language; foreign languages; disability awareness; safety/accident management; job related IT; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.
Salary levels
According to the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2009 (by the Office of National Statistics) the average weekly gross pay in the UK bus industry was as follows:
- Bus driver £424 per week
- Auto electrician £399 per week
- Auto engineer/motor mechanic £456 per week
Career paths
Further sources
Produced Sept 2010, using GoSkills AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)
