Lyon’s TCL Public Transport Network Continues to Face Driver Shortage
Lyon, February 23 – The public transport network in Lyon, TCL, is still struggling to fill hundreds of bus driver positions for 2026. According to internal information, the network needs to recruit 500 new drivers in the coming year. This persistent labor shortage, which emerged after the health crisis in 2021, is raising questions and concerns, particularly from the CGT union, regarding the future of the network and the ambitious promises made by candidates in the upcoming 2026 municipal elections.
CGT Union Raises Alarm Over Recruitment Difficulties
The CGT union, in a press conference on February 13, 2026, denounced what it called “lunar” promises from municipal candidates, emphasizing that the network’s functionality relies heavily on its drivers. “On the buses, we have been operating with a reduced service for six years. We still haven’t managed to recruit enough drivers,” stated the CGT. The union argues that the programmatic announcements of the candidates do not sufficiently consider the recruitment difficulties, which it attributes to uncompetitive salaries and poor working conditions.
“In Clermont, where salaries are 300 euros higher, there are no such problems, even though life in Lyon is much more expensive,” a CGT Keolis Lyon representative highlighted. “We can make all the promises, but we won’t succeed if we don’t talk about salaries and conditions.” The majority union for TCL is demanding better remuneration and improved conditions to make the profession more attractive and to “restore nominal service” in Lyon. They warn that without addressing these issues, projects for new lines, such as metro E and new tramways, may be jeopardized.
Sytral Acknowledges Recruitment Goals Amidst “Turnover”
Contacted by actu Lyon, Sytral Mobilité, the public transport authority, indicated that operations are proceeding normally while confirming the objective to recruit 500 additional employees, a figure consistent with recruitment targets in 2022 and 2023. Sytral acknowledges being “confronted with a labor shortage at the end of the health crisis,” but asserts that it has “stabilized” its workforce and “secured” its operational capacities through “a vast plan of targeted actions, accompanied by major communication campaigns and new recruitment methods.” This, they claim, has allowed for the “sustainable reconstitution of Keolis’ teams,” the operator of the bus lines.
In 2022, the network saw a 4% reduction in service due to staff shortages (compared to 25% in Paris the same year), leading to service reductions on 40 bus lines. Sytral attributes the ongoing need for recruitment to the “turnover generally observed in the public transport sector” and the “enrichment of the TCL bus network’s transport offer in recent years.”
Recruitment Efforts and Future Plans
Keolis Bus Lyon, which hired nearly 400 permanent bus drivers in 2025, aims to recruit 500 more in 2026, in addition to staff for maintenance and other support services. To achieve this, Keolis Bus Lyon continues to collaborate with France Travail, local missions, the MMIE, and other local partners. They are looking for both experienced and novice drivers, offering “fully funded and paid training” along with various benefits. Applications can be submitted via a dedicated website.
For heavy modes of transport managed by RATP Dev Lyon, the delegate is “anticipating the recruitment of drivers for future lines and has already initiated its recruitment and training plan for the operation and maintenance of the tramways that will be put into service in the coming months, T9 and T10, to guarantee their optimal operation,” Sytral assured.
The persistent challenge of recruiting and retaining bus drivers remains a critical issue for Lyon’s public transport system, with implications for service quality and the realization of future expansion plans.
Source: https://actu.fr/auvergne-rhone-alpes/lyon_69123/tcl-a-lyon-penurie-de-chauffeurs-de-bus-des-centaines-de-postes-a-pourvoir-ce-qu-il-se-passe_63836931.html
