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Patient transport services driver

Also called PTS driver, ambulance care assistant, patient transport driver

Patient transport services drivers transfer disabled, vulnerable and elderly patients to and from health care facilities such as hospitals or social care settings. They drive the ambulance and maintain all the related equipment but under non-emergency circumstances.

Will there be jobs?Limited prospects19 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Drivers and mobile plant operatorsWhat does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,000 (Bulgaria) to €5,100 (Denmark) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Drivers and mobile plant operatorsWhat do I need to study?Upper secondary or vocational6 in 10 finished upper secondary or vocational training. 6 in 10 train through vocational routes.Drivers and mobile plant operatorsWill AI change it?In some tasksLevel 3 of 6. AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.Car, taxi and van drivers · ILO

What you'd do

Car, taxi and van drivers · ILO
  • Driving and tending passenger, vans, cars or taxis
  • Driving and tending cars, vans or small trucks to deliver mail or goods
  • Assisting passengers with handling of luggage
  • Collecting fares, payments for deliveries, or documents certifying deliveries
  • Operating telecommunications equipment to report location and availability, and follow directions of control centre
  • Determining most appropriate route
  • Assisting physically challenged passengers
  • Operating equipment to facilitate the loading and unloading of physically challenged passengers
Maintain vehicle appearanceAssist passengersFollow verbal instructionsComplete patient journey recordsDrive ambulance under non-emergency conditions+ 7 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors and outdoors
  • A mix of sitting and standing
  • Constant contact with people, including the public
  • Good freedom to decide
  • Often more than 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the similar US job "Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians"

Will there be jobs?

Limited prospects

Fewer jobs than in most work will need filling by 2035.

People working as drivers and mobile plant operators in the EU
8.26m9.01m8.74m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
1,996,000 replacing leavers 322,000 jobs disappear
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Drivers and mobile plant operators19
All jobs29
Right now
6 of 27 countries report a shortage of car, taxi and van drivers, 13 a surplus.
Car, taxi and van drivers · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,000 a month (Bulgaria) to €5,100 (Denmark), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among plant and machine operators, and assemblers in the EU, women earn 21% less per hour than men. Plant and machine operators, and assemblers · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Upper secondary or vocational

Upper secondary or vocational training in motor vehicles, ships and aircraft is the usual route.

Highest qualification of drivers and mobile plant operators (EU, 2025)
Degree 8%Vocational 52%General secondary 11%Basic schooling 28%
Fields that teach it
Motor vehicles, ships and aircraft · Earth sciences
Vocational route, EU
6 in 10 trainees in this field

Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

In some tasks

AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.28 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 8 tasks
Determining most appropriate route0.73
Operating telecommunications equipment to report location and availability, and follow directions of control centre0.48
Collecting fares, payments for deliveries, or documents certifying deliveries0.35
Driving and tending passenger, vans, cars or taxis0.17
Driving and tending cars, vans or small trucks to deliver mail or goods0.17
Assisting physically challenged passengers0.12
Assisting passengers with handling of luggage0.10
Operating equipment to facilitate the loading and unloading of physically challenged passengers0.08

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for car, taxi and van drivers. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).