1 Feb 2022
Comprehensive guidance on tram driver selection and recruitment has been published by the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board.
Comprehensive guidance on tram driver selection and recruitment has been published by the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board.
The new document is available to download here and offers detailed advice on best practice in attracting, selecting, recruiting and retaining the most suitable applicants for the highly responsible role of tram driver.
Steve Duckering, LRSSB Operations Manager, said: “Recruiting the right candidates is of paramount importance to the safe and efficient operation of a tramway.
“Getting recruitment right is vital from a safety point of view, and as it can be a time consuming and costly process, it is important to find employees who will stay in the role long-term,”
The new guidance is based on the experience of existing light rail systems and previous published documents, as well as drawing on a 2019 members’ survey which included data on existing drivers and recruitment processes.
“We think this guidance offers managers a wide-ranging set of criteria to help them cover every aspect of driver recruitment and all the factors that should be taken into account,” Steve said.
Subjects covered include mental and physical aptitude, professionally validated psychometric testing, attention, communication, memory, perception, reaction times, hand co-ordination and vigilance.
“Being a tram driver obviously requires the skill set to handle the mechanics of driving, but other factors such as the ability to deal effectively with members of the public and the ability to maintain concentration during repetitive tasks are vitally important too.
“We believe this guidance will be a great help to network managers in their quest to ensure that they recruit the candidates best suited to this demanding but rewarding role,” Steve added.
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