President of the Balearic Transport Federation, Rafel Roig, has expressed major concern over the rapidly decreasing number of drivers in Majorca, claiming the transport sector will have “serious problems” if no change is made.
Mr Roig estimates that as things currently stand, an additional 200 drivers are needed in order to keep the service running at a good level.
With the number of current drivers coming up to retirement age, the situation could even worsen over the next few years.
The cost of obtaining a D driving licence for bus and coach drivers is extortionately expensive, with the figure standing at €4,000 (£3,321), to which specific courses have to be added. This is resulting in fewer people wanting to become drivers as the price is too high.
Mr Roig said, as reported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin: “This discourages many people from joining the sector as they have to make a significant financial outlay.”
Getting a bus driver’s licence is especially difficult for young people, given that they typically won’t have enough savings to purchase it.
A few transport operators will offer an advanced payment for the licence and then deduct this over time from the drivers’ salary. However, Mr Roig admits this is not very persuasive given the figure is still ultimately paid by the driver.
The Balearic Government is considering giving some aid to finance licences.
Moreover, Mr Roig has expressed that the issue is a Europe-wide problem rather than unique to the Balearics, with the federation asking the EU to agree on a major change.
The federation requested the B licence used to drive cars plus a safety course to qualify for driving buses with fewer than 16 seats. The EU has reportedly yet to respond to this request.
Besides the cost of the licence, another reason why the number of bus drivers in Majorca is dwindling is the high cost of living and housing, deterring people from mainland Spain from relocating to the Balearics.
The housing crisis has been one of the issues dominating the protests that took hold in several areas of Spain this summer.
Protesters have blamed the high cost of living and lack of affordable homes on overtourism and the huge rise in holiday rentals.