Inari municipal manager gets permit to drive buses in spare time

Inari municipal manager Tommi Kasurinen has received permission to work occasionally as a bus driver, Yle reported. He says he wants to support local businesses and organisations while maintaining his professional driving skills.

The Inari municipal executive board approved Kasurinen’s application for a secondary occupation as a driver in passenger and freight transport. The assignments must be occasional and must not interfere with his work as municipal manager.

Kasurinen holds valid professional qualifications and driving licences for both passenger and freight transport. He may drive buses, combination vehicles and possibly taxis.

“It would mainly involve covering for someone, occasional trips, or transporting sports teams and others,” Kasurinen said. He stressed that his primary job is, without question, leading the municipality.

Kasurinen described the secondary occupation more as a hobby than a job. He said he wanted to help local companies and associations with occasional transport needs and gain a better understanding of what happens in the municipality and how its businesses operate.

He said the work would not be regular and would consist of individual trips. If a conflict arose, his duties as municipal manager would always take priority.

Secondary occupation permits for municipal managers are rare in Finland. Last spring, Päivi Kontio, the municipal manager of Utsjoki, was granted permission to work as a nurse. She worked occasional nursing shifts during her spare time last summer.