Spike in Wellington bus crashes

Reported bus accidents in Wellington almost tripled in the first full month after the city’s network overhaul kicked into gear.

The new network of routes, timetables and larger buses took effect on July 15, which is also when bus operator Tranzurban took over the lion’s share of operations – about 50 per cent of all routes and services.

That month saw 11 reported bus accidents – seven involving Tranzurban buses and four involving buses operated by the former major player in Wellington, NZ Bus.

By contrast, between August 2017 and June 2018 there were between four and six accidents reported each month to Greater Wellington Regional Council.

By August 2018 – the first full calendar month of the new network in Wellington city – the number of reported accidents hit 16. Tranzurban buses were involved in 11 of those, while NZ Bus and Mana Coach Services were involved in one each.

One incident involved a woman on a bus that stopped with an ‘‘almighty jolt’’, causing her to fly forward and hit her head on the driver’s seat and get whiplash. An elderly woman on the same bus landed on the floor.

Another incident was reported to the council as a ‘‘hit and run’’ on a car, while another allegedly involved a bus driver who hit a parked car then, when challenged by a passenger, denied it.

The bus drivers union has blamed the spike in reported crashes on what they say is substandard training, pay and conditions provided to Tranzurban drivers.

But Greater Wellington says this is because bus operators are reporting more incidents.

Tranzurban did not offer any theories about the accident spike but said that its drivers were adequately trained.

The Council of Trade Unions obtained the figures from Greater Wellington and supplied them to Stuff. They cover reported accidents to the council, rather than verified crashes.

Tramways Union secretary Kevin O’Sullivan said the situation was ‘‘totally predictable’’.

‘‘The way Tranzit has gone about employing drivers has left them short staffed and they’ve refused to put proper training in place,’’ he said.

At the time the new network took effect, Tranzurban filled staff shortages by pulling drivers in from elsewhere.

‘‘If the regional council and Tranzit had negotiated a sensible handover with us, they would’ve had a good pool of experienced Wellington drivers to draw on and the chance to run decent training.

‘‘We raised both of these issues with them well before the change over happened. They didn’t listen,’’ O’Sullivan said.

‘‘Tranzit . . . refused to put proper training in place.’’ Kevin O’Sullivan, Tramways Union