prices for excursions are rising due to a shortage of bus drivers – Kommersant

Travel firms are reducing the number of bus tours or their duration due to a shortage of drivers. The Union of Associations of Road Carriers and Entrepreneurs estimates the shortage of bus drivers at 40–60%, reports “News”.

As Oleg Kuksov, chairman of the board of the Union of Associations of Road Carriers and Entrepreneurs, told Izvestia, at the beginning of February the shortage of tourist bus drivers was 40–60% of what was needed. The average salary of tourist transport drivers has increased to 100–150 thousand rubles, but the problem of personnel shortage has not been resolved. Drivers leave, among other reasons, due to unstable employment.

The press service of the tour operator “Alean” reported that since January, many companies offering transport for excursions have increased prices by about one and a half times. First of all, prices for excursions are rising in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Due to high demand, transport companies are experiencing a shortage of vehicles and are renting buses and buying them from competitors. All these factors lead to even higher costs.

However, according to experts, price increases by transport companies have not led to a strong increase in the cost of travel packages. This year, the cost of a tour in Russia is on average 15% higher than last year. As Alean explained, the increase in costs does not seem noticeable due to the even distribution of the load among all tourists.

In Russia, there is not only a shortage of drivers, but also a shortage of taxi drivers, which is why travel prices are rising. In December 2023, the Public Council for Taxi Development sent a letter to the Federation Council, where he proposed to temporarily allow all migrants to work in taxis in order to solve the problem with the shortage of drivers.

Anastasia Larina