There are many vacancies for drivers in public transport, what is the salary at the end of 2025

The municipal enterprise 'Electroavtotrans' in Ivano-Frankivsk is facing a severe shortage of drivers, which threatens to cut routes of public transport. The average salary of a driver is slightly over 40 thousand hryvnias, but this does not solve the personnel crisis. This is reported by Firtka.

In the last two weeks, the enterprise has lost eight drivers, four of whom were mobilized. Director of 'Electroavtotrans' Vitalii Golutiak warned of a possible reduction in routes due to a lack of staff. Instead of the planned 64 buses and 43 trolleybuses, only 60-61 buses and 40-41 trolleybuses are going out daily.

Shortage of public transport drivers: causes of the personnel crisis

The staffing problem is increasing daily due to several factors. Until 2020, there were more drivers than needed, but the situation changed after the pandemic. Some workers went to international transportation, where work conditions are easier - without frequent stops, traffic jams, and constant passenger movement.

The cancellation of the decree on the reservation of all drivers over the age of 35 has worsened the situation. Now the enterprise can reserve only 50% of military personnel employees, although most of those reserved are drivers.

The enterprise is trying to solve the problem by training new staff:

• Trolleybus drivers are recruited and trained by the company itself
• Contracts have been signed with educational institutions for bus drivers who train specialists of category 'D'
• Two drivers are already working after completing their training, and five more are in the process of training
• The enterprise pays for training on the condition of further work

Attracting female drivers is also difficult. They make up almost one third of trolleybus drivers, but only one woman works on buses. Many female drivers go abroad for work due to inflation.

Salaries of drivers and transport development plans

The average salary of a driver in the municipal enterprise is slightly over 40 thousand hryvnias before tax deductions. This is the highest salary among the company's employees, yet it remains difficult to compete with international carriers.

In October, public transport carried about 2.1 million passengers. Of these, approximately 1.2 million paid for their ride, while the rest are beneficiaries. Among the payers, 30% use cash, 35% use the 'Halka' card, and almost 35% pay with bank cards or via QR codes.

The enterprise plans to launch a new trolleybus route after the arrival of new trolleybuses from Lviv. They are equipped with autonomous drive and can travel 15-20 kilometers without a contact network. However, the implementation of these plans again depends on the availability of a sufficient number of drivers.

Earlier we reported that in the center of Ivano-Frankivsk from mid-October, riding electric scooters, electric bicycles, and other personal electric transport was prohibited. The city became the first regional center in Ukraine to implement such a ban.