A 83 éves buszsofőr – miért nem megy nyugdíjba?

It’s 10 a.m., and Torben Ostrup’s getting ready for his midday shift as a bus driver. He’s 83, so why is he going to work in the first place

I’m healthy and energetic. I look forward to my job.

Torben drives his bus in a city in rural central Jutland. He only learned to drive at age 70. Before retiring, he was a professional soldier and business consultant. But he wasn’t content with the pensioner’s life, so he went back to work.

When you enjoy work, you enjoy life, and I think you’ll also have a longer life.

Torben doesn’t need the money. After 40 years of employment, he’s got a good pension. His wife is also long past 60 and still working, and they both still have time to tend their garden and a few beehives.

This is where I relax, and I always have enough time for it. Denmark shares a common problem with most other European countries. Too many seniors and not enough young people. By 2050, one out of four Danes will be older than 65. Even Denmark’s trade unions approve of government and business initiatives encouraging pensioners to return to work.

Every year, Denmark’s public services trade union votes for the best over 60 – men and women who just won’t quit. Many of our members want to keep working past retirement age. But then they expect more flexibility, that is, fewer work hours per week, or if they’re supervisors, less responsibility. I hope we can one day say we’ll take everyone who can and wants to go on as long as possible.

When the 83-year-old arrives at work, he has to take the mandatory breath test. In addition, he has to take a driving test at regular intervals. And he’s quite popular with his co-workers. Even the 20-something-year-old trainees think he’s… Pretty cool.

I don’t have much contact with people of his age otherwise, but for his age, he’s just awesome at this. His boss doesn’t see what’s supposed to be so special about her senior employee’s age either. We have several older bus drivers, and many of them changed to this occupation later in life. They wanted a quieter work routine. And they stay with us as pensioners.

My job is to make sure they’re all fit enough for this occupation, cognitively and physically. And I’m happy to do it, because they’re such wonderful employees.

Torben is popular with his passengers too. Most of them are students who take the bus from small villages where they live to their school in the nearest county town and back. They like seeing Aalstrup at the wheel.

As long as someone’s making sure he’s able to do his job, I have nothing to worry about. Torben says nobody’s ever complained that he’s too old for the job. Public attitudes are changing. Now in political debates, they’re saying they can make good use of us senior citizens. I’m glad I’m living in a time when nobody expects us to just be modest and grateful anymore.

So Torben sees to it that the bus arrives on time. He’ll leave it up to someone else to solve the problems that come with an aging society in his home country, Denmark.

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Key:

1. True - The text states that Torben looks forward to his job and feels healthy and energetic.
2. False - The text mentions that Torben learned to drive at age 70, which is not very young.
3. True - The text indicates that both Torben and his wife have time for their garden and beehives.
4. False - The text states that even trade unions support initiatives for pensioners to return to work.
5. True - The text confirms that Torben must take a breath test and a driving test at regular intervals.
6. False - The text states that most of Torben's passengers are students, not elderly people.
7. True - The text mentions that public attitudes are changing and that older citizens are being recognized for their contributions.