Staff shortage alters bus routes
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CENTRAL SMT Co. Ltd., a Scottish Omni bus Group company, has announced reorganization of routes in its area of Central Scotland to overcome a shortage of 300 drivers and 150 conductors. It employs 766 drivers and 931 conductors, including 150 Pakistanis, and operates a fleet of 600 buses covering Glasgow-Lanarkshire routes, in the main.
It is planning to maintain services on major routes and to run the same mileage but will economise wherever possible in order to get the best returns from available staff. Recruiting drives have been staged in Ireland, the North of Scotland and the North of England, with a net gain of only three drivers.
The centres to be reduced are within the Shotts, Edcllewood, Lanark, Carluke, Wishaw, Clelland, Lesmahagow, Airdrie, Strathaven, Coatbridge, Hamilton, Cambuslang, Motherwell, Newton and Newmains routes. Mr. Norman Whittle, traffic manager, says: "We are trying to give the best balanced service with the staff available. We have a number of large vehicles which will be used within this scheme to give us the greatest carrying capacity."