A bus route closure is making it harder for businesses in a popular Danish holiday town to recruit young seasonal workers. Shops, supermarkets and restaurants in Blåvand say employees without access to a car can no longer reach the town easily during its busiest months.
Blåvand, on Denmark’s western coast, has around 300 permanent residents. During the summer season, however, as many as 30,000 tourists can be present in the surrounding area.
The seasonal increase creates additional demand for workers across the local retail and hospitality sectors. Business owners say recruitment has become more difficult since the permanent bus route 140 was discontinued in 2023.
Bus route closure limits access to seasonal jobs
Gregers Mark, who owns the Meny supermarket in Blåvand, said the lack of a regular bus service excludes potential employees who cannot travel by car.
“There are people who do not have the option of taking the car, either because they are not old enough to drive or because the family may only have one car,” Mark told Danish broadcaster DR.
The problem particularly affects teenagers looking for part-time or summer employment. In some cases, parents must drive their children to Blåvand at the beginning and end of every shift.
Mark said a limited seasonal service could provide a practical alternative to restoring the former timetable in full. One possibility would be a minibus operating a few times a day, with departures coordinated with the working hours of local businesses.
Young applicants turn down jobs because they cannot reach the town
Halima Zadran, the owner of Storms Café in Blåvand, said transport difficulties have reduced the number of young people able to accept seasonal positions.
Zadran normally begins recruiting summer staff in February. Some applicants later withdraw when they discover that Blåvand cannot be reached by regular bus.
“I am not saying that the bus has to run every hour, as it did in the past. But if it travelled there three times and returned three times, young people would at least have an opportunity,” she said.
Staff shortages can also affect visitors. When cafés and restaurants cannot recruit enough employees, customers may face longer waiting times during the peak tourism season.
According to Zadran, better transport would therefore support young workers, local businesses and tourists at the same time.
Sydtrafik considers smaller and more flexible services
Sydtrafik, the public transport authority responsible for buses in southern Denmark, has expressed willingness to discuss possible solutions with businesses in Blåvand.
Its chair, Preben Friis-Hauge, who also represents the liberal party Venstre in Varde Municipal Council (Varde Byråd) and the regional council, said the previous route had been closed because passenger numbers were too low.
The figures available to the authority indicated an average of approximately 1.3 to 1.4 passengers per departure. Friis-Hauge said that level of demand was insufficient to justify operating a bus with capacity for 48 passengers.
Restoring route 140 in its previous form may therefore not be considered economically viable. Instead, the transport authority could examine smaller vehicles, limited seasonal departures or more flexible mobility services.
Friis-Hauge mentioned existing services including Plustur, which connects passengers with other public transport, and the FlexUng and FlexJunior schemes for younger travellers. Car-sharing services such as Nabogo could also form part of a local solution.
Tourist destinations face a seasonal transport dilemma
The case illustrates a wider challenge for smaller tourist destinations. Demand for public transport may be limited during much of the year, making permanent routes costly to operate. During the summer, however, the local population and demand for labour can rise rapidly.
In Blåvand, the absence of a regular bus does not only affect visitors. It also restricts access to employment for young people living in nearby towns and places additional pressure on businesses that depend on seasonal staff.
Talks between Sydtrafik and local employers could now determine whether a smaller, targeted service can be introduced during the busiest part of the year. A seasonal transport model would have to balance operating costs with the needs of businesses, workers and tourists in one of western Jutland’s main coastal destinations.
