How much do drivers make in Germany and why they resent
In Germany, there is a shortage of tens of thousands of public transport drivers, and many of them resent working conditions, long shifts and pay. How much do they earn on average?
It’s still dark outside when Messi Azar sits behind the wheel. The 31-year-old man is a bus driver in the German city of Wiesbaden and is responsible for the transport and security of hundreds of passengers daily. He still remembers the shock two years ago when a car suddenly inserted under the nose of the bus and only a sharp stop prevented a severe crash. Many people then suffered minor injuries.
Azar loves his profession, but does not stop repeating that the mistakes in it are not allowed because they are punished brutally – including with human life, writes Ard.
Shortage of tens of thousands of drivers
And this is not the only factor that makes the profession of a public transport driver unattractive. The German media indicates various reasons that make especially older drivers to give up the profession. These include exhausting shifts early in the morning and late nights, weekend work and holidays, relatively low pay, huge mental pressure to observe the schedule, as well as the increasing number of conflicts with passengers. At the same time, young drivers are increasingly difficult.
About an average 3200 euro gross salary
The situation at the moment is such that he is regularly forced to compensate for the bus delays at the expense of his vacations, so he often does not have time to even go to the toilet. And when it allows it, many passengers respond with misunderstanding. Azar also feels this in the way people welcome the news of strikes in public transport: « Many passengers do not understand that our strike is in their favor – in order to create all the prerequisites for their secure transport, » the driver tells Ard. He also appeals for a better pay for driving labor.
The future is far from pink
Therefore, many drivers are forced to work extraordinarily – in any cases over 220 hours per month to secure the necessary income. Another problem is that training for a professional bus driver in Germany is too expensive – significantly more than in other EU countries. The large number of mandatory driving hours in Germany, required to issue a professional driving license, are expensive to cost qualification courses. The cost of them amounts to between 10,000 and 12,000 euros. And the bureaucratic obstacles to recognition of qualifications from abroad prevent Germany from filling the vacancies with candidates from other countries.
