Reduced bus service 39 drivers short

NO end is in sight for the Otago Regional Council’s reduced bus timetable, but a new bus service will help with the school run.

The reduced timetable was slated to be in effect for at least a month when introduced in Dunedin and Queenstown on July 19.

It is set to continue, and the council will place the reduced timetable at bus stops over the coming weeks.

The change was introduced with the aim of increasing reliability amid ongoing cancellations caused by driver illness and a national driver shortage.

The frequency of buses on some Dunedin routes was roughly halved, and the overall service was reduced by about a third.

Transport manager Doug Rodgers said driver numbers were key to returning to a full timetable.

‘‘We don’t want to rush back to a full service, then not be able to fulfil the increased level of service,’’ Mr Rodgers said.

‘‘As of [Wednesday], we are 39 drivers short of being able to provide a full timetable.’’

The cutback in buses also affected school bus services, taken on by the council earlier this year after commercial Dunedin bus company Otago Road Services ceased operation.

Under the reduced bus timetable, 13yearold Taieri College pupil Hunter Mitchell could only get to school at 9.30am, as reported by the Otago Daily Times on Tuesday.

What had been a 15minute stopover in Green Island became a 45minute wait.

He would leave his Taieri Mouth home at 7.20am and catch three different buses before reaching the school he was zoned for nearly two hours later.

On Wednesday the council introduced an additional service from Dunedin’s bus hub to Mosgiel via Green Island on weekdays.

‘‘[The service] not only functions to help connections for schools at Green Island and the surrounding areas, but also provides additional capacity for passengers in general,’’ Mr Rodgers said.

Hunter’s father, Braden Mitchell, was pleased action had been taken. ‘‘Now he’s just 10 minutes late, which is way more acceptable,’’ he said.

An unexpected rise in the overall number of passengers using the bus services occurred in Dunedin in the days following the change, although this had since ‘‘flattened out,’’ to a consistent level, Mr Rodgers said.

Patronage had increased in Queenstown during the reduced timetable.

‘‘Despite the reduced service timetable, passenger numbers have held steady in both Dunedin and Queenstown.’’