More than 30 jobs to go at Reading Buses
More than 30 people are being made redundant at Reading Buses after a financial hit caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Berkshire company announced 33 job losses are among the cost-saving measures to keep services running while tackling the financial climate.
During the height of lockdown, the company saw customer numbers fall to lower than 10% of normal.
Reading Buses says despite government funding, the Job Retention Scheme is due to end and it cannot guarantee people will 'return to old routines'.
The company says it expects that some people will continue to use other modes of transport, work from home and shop online during the 'new normal'.
All of which could see ongoing reduction in both customer numbers and revenue.
Robert Williams says: “It is imperative that we continue to regain customer confidence so maintaining our current service level is a priority. The environmental impact of using private transport is huge, so we hope that many more customers return to our buses over the coming days and weeks as things return to normal. Our buses are clean, safe and good to go for people wanting to return to their commute or access retail and leisure facilities.”
The cost-saving measures include:
Up to 33 positions in the company at risk – although no driver redundancies are currently expected.
A freeze on new recruitment, including apprenticeships.
A freeze on investment in new vehicles.
New ways of working for existing staff