Go-Ahead Group’s Go North East has expanded what it says is ‘Britain’s biggest-ever recruitment campaign for bus drivers’ in preparation for expected further growth in the region’s public transport network. The company plans to hire up to 200 drivers through its newly created Elite Bus Driver Academy to operate routes in Gateshead, Durham and Tyne and Wear, and is offering wages of ‘upwards of £30,000.’
Under the ‘Be an Elite Driver’ theme, the campaign uses fighter pilot-style uniforms and imagery, and makes existing drivers the star of the show. Images of eight different drivers will be displayed across a number of buses.
Applicants will be urged to become ‘the best of the best’ and will be offered a six-week training programme, open both to existing bus driver licence holders and to those who have never sat behind the wheel of a bus before.
The campaign is being backed by cheaper fares across its services, set at £1 for under 22s as well as the nation-wide £2 fare cap.
Managing Director Nigel Featham said: “This is a ground-breaking recruitment campaign to match the huge scale of change that we’ll be helping to deliver in the North East’s public transport. We’ve already had lots of interest in joining our Elite driver academy and we’re expecting thousands of applications.”