“It's not just a matter of getting technology into buses”: An activity-centred approach to bus drivers’ work sustainability in an age of automation

BackgroundIn the context of current challenges facing public passenger transport, automation is presented as a leading solution for achieving more efficient, safer, and more sustainable mobility. This is reflected in the growing number of pilot projects and trials with automated buses across Europe. Yet, debates on automated public transport are often dominated by either technocentric perspectives or concerns about passenger acceptance.ObjectiveThis study adopts a perspective that has been insufficiently considered in research on automated public transport: the viewpoint of bus drivers. This neglect has meant that drivers' work experience and their knowledge of the issues affecting public transport remain residual.MethodsA qualitative research design was employed, involving bus drivers from a public transport company in a metropolitan area of Portugal. Discussion sessions were organised as spaces for dialogue and reflection on work activity and its potential evolution with automation.ResultsFour main themes emerged, illustrating the constraints that shape drivers' current work and how these have contributed to the deterioration of job quality. Building on this, the drivers projected their probable future work with automated buses, showing that this transition intersects with much more than technology alone. It requires attention to working conditions, occupational risks, bus scheduling, and even urban planning.ConclusionsAs investment in automated public transport grows, promising to redefine drivers' work, our results help identify key organisational and policy factors that need to be addressed to promote sustainable work and secure a worker-led just transition to automation in public transport for bus drivers.