The Swedish Bus Driver Championship, organised annually by IRU member the Swedish Bus & Coach Federation (Sveriges Bussföretag), has long been an opportunity to recognise the skill and professionalism behind bus driving.
Anna Ermanbriks Larsson, who drives school routes in Mjölby for Go-Ahead Sweden, took the title after a close final.
"It feels really good and means a lot. It has been a great day, meeting colleagues from all over the country and competing. It was exciting and felt good throughout the competition, even though I didn't think I would win," she said after her win.
The competition, held together with trade publications Res- och Trafikforum, drew a record 800 drivers through national qualifying rounds, narrowing the field to 20 finalists. They were tested on precision driving and reversing, emergency response, fuel-efficient driving, and passenger interaction.
Anna Ermanbriks Larsson was followed on the podium by Andreja Dlugos of Nobina, based in Frändefors, and Peter Ihl of Molkom Buss, based in Molkom.
"It is always a pleasure to meet so many talented industry colleagues and talk about the role bus transport plays in keeping the whole of society running,” said Sveriges Bussföretag Deputy Managing Director Anna Grönlund and Chair of IRU's Passenger Transport Committee.
“The finalists are positive role models for the entire industry and can inspire more people to enter the profession. This matters even more now, when we need more bus drivers across the country to keep public transport running,” she added.
The scale of that need is significant. According to the report Tempen på bussbranschen 2026, Sweden will need to recruit around 6,900 new bus drivers by 2028.
IRU's driver shortage research shows the pattern extends across the sector in Europe more broadly, with under 3% of bus and coach drivers below the age of 25 and over 40% above 55, an ageing workforce that the industry is having to replace while competing for a shrinking pool of new entrants. Widening who the profession reaches, including women, is one of the practical levers IRU has identified for closing that gap.
“That is where recognition initiatives like the championship earn their relevance,” said Anna Grönlund. “By giving the profession public visibility and celebrating individual excellence, competitions like this help make the case, concretely rather than abstractly, that bus driving is a viable and respected career.”
Anna Ermanbriks Larsson’s win gives Sveriges Bussföretag another visible example to build on. It also offers a model other national associations may look to as they design their own initiatives to attract new drivers, including from groups currently underrepresented in the profession.
