Moroccan driver hiring plan sparks debate in northern Italy

An Italian public transport company has launched a recruitment initiative in Morocco to address a persistent shortage of bus drivers, a move that has sparked criticism from a right-wing political party in northern Italy.

ATAP, which serves the provinces of Vercelli and Biella, says it needs at least 25 additional drivers to maintain operations and cover a chronic staffing deficit.

The company recently unveiled a pilot recruitment program targeting Moroccan candidates. According to ATAP president Francesca Guabello, the initiative aims to recruit 15 drivers of Moroccan origin in the short term and expand that figure to 25 by the end of the year across both provinces.

The program includes professional training through a dedicated academy, full coverage of licensing costs required to operate public transport vehicles in Italy, and six months of free accommodation for recruits relocating to the country. The offer is open to both male and female applicants.

ATAP says the measure is a response to a severe labor shortage. The company currently operates 153 daily shifts with only 139 available drivers. To maintain services, employees normally assigned to administrative roles have occasionally been required to cover driving duties.

Guabello noted that the situation has become so challenging that the company’s human resources manager sometimes drives school bus routes before returning to office responsibilities.

The initiative has drawn criticism from members of Futuro Nazionale, a right-wing party represented on Vercelli’s city council.

In a statement issued on June 16, city councillors Gian Carlo Locarni and Lucia Pizzimenti argued that Italian job seekers should receive priority access to the incentives being offered to Moroccan recruits.

The councillors questioned why benefits such as free training, license financing, and housing support were not being directed first toward unemployed Italians. They called on regional authorities and those overseeing ATAP to reconsider or limit the recruitment program.

The party also raised concerns about the procedures required to convert Moroccan driving qualifications for use in Italy and questioned whether the initiative would provide a sustainable long-term solution to the driver shortage.

The controversy reflects broader debates taking place across several European countries, where transportation companies facing labor shortages have increasingly turned to international recruitment to fill positions that have proven difficult to staff locally.

For ATAP, however, the immediate challenge remains operational. Company officials argue that without additional drivers, maintaining current transport services could become increasingly difficult in the months ahead.