Botkyrka Bus requires upper age limit for coach drivers
The industry must agree on an upper age limit for coach drivers, considers Dennis Widmark at Botkyrka Bus. Now he wants to open a debate on the issue.
It is time to introduce an upper age limit for coach drivers. The industry must reach a voluntary agreement if such a limit - for traffic safety. This was written by Dennis Widmark, Managing Director of Botkyrka Bus in this debate post:
We need to initiate a debate in the industry on an upper age limit for bus drivers!
Therefore, we at Botkyrka Bus voluntarily chose to set an age limit at the age of 70 years to run the coach.
The average age in the Swedish bus driver's union is very high and regrowth with young drivers is almost nonexistent. This has meant that all the bus company uses an older crowd of bus drivers.
Right now there is a debate in Sweden whether to reduce the approved driving license age for bus driver's license from the current 21 years to 18 years. Issue is being pursued actively in our trade organization, the Bus and Coach Federation.
But I question strongly why it never is any debate about an upper age limit for bus drivers.
Track-bound traffic, many liner companies and air travel, an upper age limit for drivers and pilots. But it is not we who are running custom and touring by bus. I believe that such a limit should be somewhere between 65 and 70 years.
Cardiovascular disease is a major risk factor among bus drivers, and risk increases with age. The country's medical profession does not take its full responsibility and recall of professional competence of older drivers to the extent they should. The result is that there are many drivers behind bus steering wheel, although they should have retired long ago.
It is desirable to have an informed debate and a voluntary industry agreement on this.
We in Botkyrka Bus working hard road and became the only Stockholm Companies nominated for Traffic Safety Prize in 2009. Now we want to go a step further and challenge the other bus companies to keep up.
To put an upper age limit for coach drivers in the same time is a shortage of drivers, of course, nothing that makes it easier for us bus employed to man our buses. But road safety is more important. And as an industry we can not afford not to do everything we can to further improve the safety of bus operations.
Dennis Widmark
CEO Botkyrka Bus
What do you think? Has Dennis Widmark right? Advance your opinions by writing a comment below!
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3 responses »
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Dennis Hi!
I have some difficulty understanding your innlägg then I think it must be each company's obligation to hire drivers who are the comp exam in terms of education, eerfarenhet, and physical and mental health.
If it is suitable as a driver, whether you're young or old, is, of course, as I see it on the maturity and knowledge of their own ability and I think in most cases you will realize an elderly driver when it is time to stop.
Then surely every bus company / dispatchers have so much courage that dares to tell a driver when it is time to stop.
This country is more and more to set limits on the age for both vehicles and drivers which I think is preposterous.
If a perfectly healthy physically fit man / woman who is older than 70 years and want to help a few hours now and then so I do not think that age will prevent them.
Kjell Rydblom
Dennis Hi!
We've had 70 year rule the last 10 years with us. Certainly there are
many vital and lively 70 year olds, but it's hard to say for certain
that they may proceed and that now is the stop for bus driving.
I think that many people understand that it rests a heavy responsibility on the
driving a bus in both darkness and heavy traffic, and with travelers who
both can be noisy, and the influence of various beverages.
The rule should be introduced in more bus companies so that it becomes more common
that chaufförna're used to this.
MOHEDA BUS
Thorsten
How would the bus industry do without these experienced, skilled, competent and very service-minded seniors?
Upper age limit is a non priority issue that is not even worth taking up the agenda, Bus industry alive thanks to you ...