Thousands turned down for jobs as bus drivers

Thousands of people who applied to be bus drivers in the West Midlands have been turned down, with many rejected for penalty points on their driving licences, it has emerged.

Scores of vacancies for bus drivers remain unfilled. National Express West Midlands took on 420 bus drivers over the last year out of 4,500 applicants. A spate of older drivers retiring created 170 more spaces.

But, despite the high number of people looking for jobs, bosses are still seeking more because of the number that failed to make the grade.

They blamed the failure rate on applicants having points on their driving licences.

The bus industry standard is to accept drivers with three points – the equivalent of one minor speeding offence.

But National Express does not allow anyone to pass the interview if they have any points at all.

The company also runs literacy and numeracy tests and some applicants failed those as well.

Trainees who make the grade are put through their paces at the firm's training centre in Walsall.

The base in Carl Street is where trainees are tested on theory and their driving is assessed as they take on a purpose-built obstacle course, navigating their way through cones.

Braking, manoeuvring, speed and control is all tested on the course before they can head out onto routes with a mentor.

Mark Simcox, head of training and driving recruitment at the firm, said: "It is about training them up for a professional role. It isn't about just being a bus driver, we want them to see it as a career."

London based bus company Abellio recently flew to Poland to find 50 drivers because it could not find suitable applicants among britain's 2.5 million unemployed.

National Express West Midlands spokesman Jack Kelly said: "We are committed to developing opportunities for people in the West Midlands through Jobcentre Plus.

"As well as having a rigorous test people have to have a clean driving licence."