Nottinghamshire bus company Trentbarton has announced that it will be giving its 1,000 members of staff an extra pay rise on top of their annual raise.
The additional wage increase will take effect from the end of January 2022 and will result in most drivers receiving an hourly rate of between £12 and £12.60. Currently, newly recruited bus drivers earn around £10.34 an hour.
According to the business, the rises ensure that the drivers have some of the most attractive pay rates and employment conditions for bus drivers outside of London, which will help with recruitment and retaining staff.
In addition to a high rate of pay, frontline teams at the organisation benefit from four- or five-day working rosters and options for full or part-time work. Full time staff receive 28 days of annual holiday as a minimum and have the opportunity to earn more than 30 days.
Jeff Counsell, Trentbarton managing director, commented that the business had recognised that its pay rates had started to fall behind the market levels for the bus sector following the national surge in demand for workers in many industries, and wanted to put that right by adjusting them to the top of the market.
“We recognise that our drivers and the engineers who keep them on the road are our most valuable assets, and as such they deserve this investment in their teams. We want to keep our industry-leading workforce and attract the best new talent to join and train with us, that way we can continue to deliver the exceptional service our customers enjoy,” he said.
This pay rise results in Trentbarton staff earning above the living wage, which is decided by the Living Wage Foundation. The rates have this week been increased to £9.90 an hour across the UK and £11.05 for those in London from the previous figures of £9.50 and £10.85 respectively.
