GLASGOW bus drivers are set to take home a bumper pay packet - after being offered a staggering overtime rate of £25 per hour.

First Bus has announced the extra incentive for around 1300 employees based at the city’s depots in a bid to keep key services on the road as it struggles with staff shortages.

The company currently has a shortfall of 300 drivers, despite offering a £4000 recruitment bonus to those with a passenger carrying vehicle licence.

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A letter by the bus firm to staff - seen by the Glasgow Times - says bosses have taken the decision to offer double-time for overtime within its Glasgow depots.

It says that it hopes the temporary cash incentive will help improve the reliability of services and reduce the day-to-day workload and pressure on existing staff.

The eye-watering offer is £3 more per hour than a registered nurse earns, almost double that of a newly qualified police constable and more than two times the average hourly rate of a Scottish care home worker.

One bus passenger told the Glasgow Times: “It seems a bit ridiculous that bus drivers are earning so much in overtime, while nurses, paramedics and carers are struggling to survive on much lower wages.

“I understand that they also do an important job, but £25 per hour seems a lot of money.

“At the end of the day, if the company is willing to pay it, the drivers are going to accept it, who wouldn't?”

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A First Bus spokesperson said that the pay hike is a short-term measure to help keep their wheels turning - but union bosses say the offer doesn't go far enough.

The firm's operations director Linda Shield added: “We have introduced a new overtime pay rate of £25 per hour for our existing drivers to help in attempts to reduce the number of lost miles from our services as a result of the current industry-wide driver shortage.

“This is a short-term trial rate available to First Glasgow drivers who will commit to working an additional day per week for a set amount of time, allowing us the time to train new bus drivers that will help to cover the shortfall in the longer-term.”

Wendy Dunsmore, Unite industrial officer, added: “There’s a huge driver shortage and this needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

“Our members are working hard to keep Glasgow’s key bus routes running daily and worked tirelessly throughout the Covid pandemic. We want to see a universal overtime increase for all our members in every profession.”

Currently, drivers can take home £30,000 a year with overtime. The firm, which is the largest bus operator in the Glasgow area and one of the city's biggest employers, has vacancies within its Blantyre, Overtown, Scotstown, Dumbarton and Caledonia depots.

The sector has faced a recruitment crisis in recent years, with the training of new employees delayed by the pandemic and a buoyant market for drivers prompting many to look for alternatives such as driving HGVs or delivering for firms like Amazon or DPD.