Pame Express to run two more months amid driver shortage

The company operating the Pame Express park-and-ride service in Nicosia said Thursday it can keep the service going for two more months, by which time it expects a definitive solution to the shortage of drivers.

The service, connecting the GSP stadium to the city center, was initially set to be suspended on March 23, 2026, but the transport ministry confirmed it would continue, highlighting its high usage.

Andreas Nikiforou, a senior official at the transport ministry, said around 500 to 600 people use the service daily.

“The risk for Pame Express comes from the problem we have in Cyprus but also across Europe,” the official said in parliament.

“It’s the problem of the drivers, who are like an endangered species,” he remarked.

However, Nikiforou opined that it’s the operator’s responsibility to find drivers.

The ministry has held several meetings with the company – Cyprus Public Transport – in a bid to find a solution.

One idea floated is to change the requirements for a professional bus driver license – lowering the age limit.

Tryfonas Hadjichristoforou, chief financial officer for Cyprus Public Transport, said they’d do their utmost to keep the Pame Express service going.

The company can keep the service running for another two months, but by then it expects a comprehensive proposal.

A representative of the Employers and Industrialists Federation proposed hiring drivers from countries with right-hand-drive vehicles, such as India for example.

Regarding drivers from non-EU countries, a representative of the PEO trade union said a number are already employed in Cyprus.

Bus drivers earn around €1,600 – not including overtime pay.

Another issue that came up concerned bus drivers at risk of having their licenses revoked due to accumulated penalty points.

The drivers complain about the traffic lights system. Most of the fines they receive for crossing over the line. The drivers propose a traffic light countdown timer.

On this, a representative of EMEL – the Limassol bus company – said there are currently 85 bus drivers on the verge of losing their licenses due to penalty points.