Practice driver minimal age to be lowered to 18

Eighteen-year-olds shall be allowed to drive trains after the minimal age was lowered from 20 in a bid to sort out driver shortages.

UK rail companies are ceaselessly disrupted attributable to a scarcity of drivers being accessible, and the issue is about to worsen with corporations struggling to interchange a rising variety of individuals retiring with new recruits, the federal government mentioned.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander introduced the change as “daring motion to enhance practice companies and unlock hundreds of jobs”.

Union Aslef mentioned it could open up alternatives for varsity or school leavers, whereas the Rail Security and Requirements Board mentioned its analysis discovered “18-year-olds are succesful of safely turning into practice drivers”.

Within the UK a number of practice corporations depend on “relaxation day working” – when drivers voluntarily work additional shifts to run timetabled companies.

However disruption could be brought about to passenger journeys when there should not sufficient volunteers or drivers are off sick.

Some 87% of cancellations made the night time earlier than a service is scheduled to run are attributable to driver shortages, in line with the Division for Transport (DfT).

The common age of a UK practice driver is 48, with 30% set to succeed in retirement age by 2029, it mentioned.

Fewer than 9% of practice drivers are feminine, whereas beneath 12% are from an ethnic minority.

Practice driver strikes over pay and dealing circumstances brought about widespread rail disruption from July 2022 till September 2024 when a pay take care of union members was agreed.

The federal government and Aslef refused to substantiate what the common wage of a practice driver would rise to following the pay rises. In 2023, the common wage was £60,055 per yr, in line with the Rail Supply Group, which represents practice corporations.

Primarily based on the pay will increase introduced, the BBC has calculated a mean wage is estimated to be about £69,000 in 2024/25.

Coaching to change into a driver of mainline trains usually takes between one and two years. The DfT believes new job and apprenticeships for 18-year-olds might change into accessible as early as December.

A session on decreasing the minimal age for drivers carried out final yr by the then Conservative authorities obtained “overwhelming assist from throughout the trade”, the DfT mentioned.

Alexander mentioned the Labour authorities was “dedicated to getting the economic system transferring and an enormous a part of that’s getting younger individuals into the workforce, placing them on observe for a talented and fulfilling profession which can increase development throughout the nation”.

Mick Whelan, common secretary of practice drivers’ union Aslef, mentioned the trade at the moment missed out on younger individuals eager to change into practice drivers “as they do not wait round till they flip 20 to discover a profession”.

He added the brand new coverage would “enhance range within the driver’s cab” and in addition encourage extra younger individuals to tackle the function.

The minimal age for practice drivers has already been lowered in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, the federal government mentioned

Transport for London opened up its practice driver apprenticeships on the underground to 18-year-olds in 2007.