Brigade investigates the challenges facing bus and coach drivers in France

SOUTH DARENTH, England , Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The French bus and coach industry continues to expand. According to data from the Comité des Constructeurs Français d'Automobiles (CCFA) the French bus and coach market showed 4.9% growth in 2023, with registrations rising to 5,696. Data from Statista reports a projected market volume of 6.51K vehicles by 2030, with an increasing shift towards electric and hybrid models following the introduction of government incentives and the rise in environmental concerns.

France has the largest bus and coach market in the EU; however, it's not immune to the difficulties affecting the industry globally, and in this article, Philippe Bessy, National Sales Manager at Brigade France, takes a look at the challenges and discusses how to overcome them.

There are three main issues facing the sector in the immediate future - a shortage of drivers, operational costs and compliance with safety regulations.

Shortage of drivers

This is a serious problem for bus and coach companies across France, with irate commuters facing lengthy waits and frequent cancellations. The lack of drivers means that bus companies have had to reduce the number of journeys made on specific routes, resulting in extended queuing and buses packed to overflowing when they do arrive. School transport has also been affected. Recruitment drives have taken place but haven't produced the necessary numbers.

"There is huge competition for good drivers from other sectors, such as commercial haulage," Philippe says, "and in addition, factors such as low pay and stressful working conditions make it difficult for companies to fill their vacancies. The driver shortage is the biggest issue facing the industry at the moment."

Operational costs

Major financial pressures on bus and coach companies include the price of fuel, the cost of maintenance, driver training, insurance and the need for investment in new technology, for example upgrading to electric vehicles.

Regulatory compliance

Continuous investment and adaptation are necessary to comply with safety and regulatory requirements. Philippe emphasises what a big challenge this is as the rules are perpetually evolving, and whether a vehicle is manufactured with the necessary safety equipment or retrofitted, it's a complex area and can add considerably to the operational costs for the fleet.

Autonomous vehicles – the future of buses and coaches?

A significant change in the industry is the potential shift towards autonomous vehicles, which can only be hastened by the shortage of drivers.

"The increase in safety technology could lead to a future where bus and coach drivers are no longer necessary, which will fundamentally alter the market," says Philippe. "There are already pilot schemes in Scotland for driverless buses and this kind of initiative is likely to be trialled in France before too long. The requirement for active safety products will increase in parallel, and the overall product requirements, what we need from each one, will inevitably differ from current standards. It's a fascinating advancement and at Brigade we're keeping well ahead of the game with our research and development to ensure we're ready for it when necessary."

The impact of the GSR

There's no doubt that developments in commercial vehicle safety have made a major contribution to the overall decrease in road fatalities and injuries within the EU, and road safety standards have improved year on year. However, without the continual appliance of new safety solutions, the increase in population and therefore of the traffic which conveys it will not be able to keep pace.

The EU's Vehicle General Safety Regulation initially came into force in 2022, and further steps had to be in place by July 2024. It's been a crucial step in enhanced road safety across the whole EU area and has had a big impact on the bus and coach industry, not least because of the added costs of compliance. It brought in a range of mandatory advanced driver safety systems, which for buses and coaches included the following:

• Advanced emergency braking systems
• Intelligent speed assistance (ISA)
• Steering assistance and collision warning systems (PCW)
• Reversing detection system (REV)
• Event data recorders (EDR)
• Emergency stop signal (ESS)
• Blind spot information system (BSIS)
• Moving off information system (MOIS)
• Driver Drowsiness and Attention Warning (DDAW)

Philippe is keen to stress the importance of ensuring drivers are fully on board with the need for any kind of monitoring devices, and that they realise the emphasis is on the safety of both passengers and driver rather than the company trying to spy on how they're driving. "Traditionally there has always been a certain amount of resistance to the idea, so it's important that transport companies take time to explain the reasons behind and benefits of the GSR regulations to their drivers in order to gain acceptance," he says.

It's telling that there's a considerable lack of specific insurance incentives for equipping buses and coaches with safety technology. The primary motivation for operators is passenger and driver safety rather than the reduction in insurance costs. Fire safety has also been an essential consideration; compliance with UN Regulation 118, which improves fire safety measures in buses and coaches following extensive testing of flammable materials, became mandatory from September 2023.

Communication is key

Regular communication with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) is something that Philippe, and indeed the whole of Brigade, takes extremely seriously. Without this there can be no genuine understanding of what's needed and how it can be most usefully applied.

It's necessary for keeping one, or even several, steps ahead of regulatory requirements. It's also important for taking a proactive approach to ensuring new safety features and technologies are anticipated and then incorporated into bus and coach designs, which often follow trends in the commercial truck sector. For example, IP cameras, which provide digital video surveillance by sending and receiving footage over the internet or local area network, could have a vital role in passenger counting and ensuring everyone is out of a bus or coach in the event of a fire, eliminating the need for firefighters to put themselves at risk by checking. Philippe mentions that, ever at the forefront, Brigade has a prototype currently in development.

To find out more about Brigade's safety solutions for buses and coaches, or any other kind of commercial vehicle, visit https://brigade-electronics.com/.

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