De Lijn needs 600 extra bus drivers for Flanders

Flemish public transport company De Lijn is looking for about 600 drivers for all of Flanders. Last Saturday’s job day in Destelbergen (East Flanders) attracted some 30 people who were interested in a job.

The job day has been organized now so that the new drivers can start their new job this summer. A bus driver training course at De Lijn takes at least six weeks.

Urgent need

De Lijn has about 6 500 drivers throughout Flanders, of whom about 1 100 work in East Flanders. But the company is in urgent need of new employees.

De Lijn constantly faces a shortage of drivers. For example, of the 356 drivers De Lijn recruited in 2021, almost a quarter had already left before the end of 2022. In general, you can say that almost one in four drivers at De Lijn quit within two years. Last year, just over 1% of rides could not be run due to staff shortages, a fourfold increase compared to 2020.

Competition from ports and airport

“At the beginning of this year, we had to look for 900 drivers for the whole of Flanders, of whom we have already found 330,” De Lijn’s spokesperson said. “This year, we need 88 drivers for the regions of Ghent and Sint-Niklaas, and next year, we’ll need another 47.”

In Antwerp and Ghent, it is tough to find people due to the competition in the labor market with the ports. In Brussels, conversely, there’s competition from Brussels Airport.

Paid from day one

De Lijn offers flexible hours and an attractive salary. In addition, the company has its own driving school and is allowed to conduct the exams itself. Another plus is that whoever starts the training is paid from day one.

Next week, there will be a job day in Antwerp; later, other similar events will be organized in Louvain and Ostend, among others.