Alarm sounded over looming shortages in driving sector

A bus association has warned that a looming driver shortage will affect transport services nationwide next year unless the government reviews its post-graduate level English-language requirement for residency.

The warning comes after several migrant bus drivers told RNZ in September they were considering returning home if they failed to secure residency because of Immigration New Zealand's strict English-language requirements.

"I think we've a huge problem coming up," said Delaney Myers, chief executive of the Bus and Coach Association, which represents bus companies across the country.

"Around 20 percent of our urban public transport driver workforce is here on a temporary work visa, and those visas are expiring in 2026."

However, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said transport operators should find New Zealand drivers to plug any gaps that might emerge.

To qualify for a skilled residence visa, applicants must attain a score of at least IELTS 6.5 (general or academic) or exceed equivalent scores in tests such as TOEFL iBT (79), PTE Academic (58), B2 First (176) or OET (Grade B).

However, several drivers said the benchmark was unrealistic for their line of work, and some had already considered returning home.

Even truck drivers who transport goods and have little interaction with others in their work have been caught out by the current language settings, suggesting the issue could spread to the wider freight sector as well.

"The only language I speak is English and yet I have been writing English exams six times and am yet to score 6.5 in IELTS," said Gitanchand Lall, a truck driver from South Africa.

"I sit the whole day in a truck, and I don't communicate with a lot of people to do my job," Lall said.

"I speak plain English, but I still have to know academic English for residency."

Lall said his job mostly involved speaking to customers and his manager and replying to messages from his dispatch - communication that had been enough for him to live and work comfortably in New Zealand for the past three years.

"What the test asks for is academic English - that's university language," he said. "It is very tough."

He said the fees charged for sitting repeat tests were eating into his savings.

"It's more than $400 for a test and I've taken it six times," he said.

Lall, who lives with his sister in Auckland when not working, said the tests were making it difficult to plan his life.

"I moved to New Zealand for a better life," he said.

He said his company was willing to extend his visa for another year or two but if he failed to reach the IELTS target, he would have to return to South Africa.

Meanwhile, several more bus drivers have approached RNZ in recent weeks about their struggles to pass the English-language tests.

"It's really difficult for a lot of bus drivers here," said Ramesh, a bus driver in Auckland, who, like other bus drivers in this report, spoke on condition of using a pseudonym due to fears his employment could be terminated.

Ramesh, originally from Fiji, said he had scored 4.5 - enough for a visa extension but still far from the 6.5 needed for residency.

He said his family had settled in New Zealand, with his children attending school, and residency was something he needed.

"In my depot, at least 80 percent of the drivers are struggling, and that's just one depot in Auckland," he said.

"Some haven't even passed the score for extension, and many have already returned [back to their home country]."

Ramesh called on the government to lower the score requirement, saying he had been working for two years without any issues communicating with passengers.

Adam, another Auckland driver originally from the Philippines, shared the same frustration.

He said his visa, initially valid until 2026, had recently been renewed until 2028, but his residency hopes remained uncertain.

"I took the exam twice but unfortunately, I didn't get the score needed for residency," he said.

Adam sat the PTE test twice, scoring 53 and 55, both below the required threshold of 58.

"For us bus drivers, it is very hard," he said.

"We've been out of school like 20 years ago. There are many Filipino drivers who are struggling and many who haven't extended their visa yet. It's very hard for us."

For Ram, a driver from Fiji, the writing component, particularly on a computer, was the hardest.

"Since the passing rate for visa extension is 4, I think it should be the same for residency, too, because we are just bus drivers," he said. "We don't work in offices."

'Significant problem' for operators

Delaney Myers said the inability of drivers to secure residency was proving to be a "significant problem" for operators nationwide.

She said fears over the English test were among the strongest concerns raised in recent research conducted by the Bus and Coach Association on barriers to recruitment and retention in the sector.

"Some of them have already gone home, and many believe they're not going to be able to pass these exams," she said. "So, we've got a real problem on the horizon around being able to actually man these bus services."

Myers said English competency had already been assessed when drivers were hired.

"They can get through day to day, but they're not at that really high academic level that is required to pass the residency test," she said. "And our view is that the test level is set too high."

She said the Bus and Coach Association had been in talks with the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) about this issue for nearly a year.

Consequently, the agency had also discussed the issue with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

"But, from what we understand, the general feedback from MBIE is that they don't think it's a problem," she said.

An NZTA spokesperson confirmed the agency had received feedback from the Bus and Coach Association about migrant drivers struggling to meet English test requirements, potentially affecting their visa extensions or residency applications.

"NZTA is working closely with the sector, MoT [Ministry of Transport] and MBIE to monitor the situation and to encourage employers to continue supporting drivers to meet English-language requirements," the spokesperson said.

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford told RNZ that the English standard for residence - IELTS 6.5 - sat between a "competent" and "good" user of English.

"It is important that the principal applicant has a good standard for English to support good settlement outcomes," Stanford said.

Stanford said that while bus drivers might not need advanced writing skills for their jobs, they might need them "when communicating with services or government agencies online or via email".

She rejected the claim a driver shortage was imminent, saying transport providers should prioritise hiring New Zealand drivers.

"There are currently over 20,000 more people on the Jobseeker Work Ready benefit than there were in 2023," she said.

"In the first instance, transport providers should be engaging with MSD [Ministry of Social Development] to recruit and train suitable New Zealanders into these roles before seeking to employ a migrant."

However, Myers said it was fair to reward drivers who had relocated to New Zealand to plug a gap in the country's service network.

In 2023, Auckland Transport announced an end to the city's bus driver shortage after a successful local and international recruitment drive.

"People came across to help us out in New Zealand with the offer of a better lifestyle and better future for them and their families," Myers said.

"It just seems cruel to be whipping this away at this point in time."