Driver deficit in ‘sick industry’

Efforts to bring back buses and ease pressure on Wellington’s transport system are being paralysed by a bus driver shortage.

It’s been three weeks since Greater Wellington Regional Council chairman Daran Ponter promised to fix Wellington’s public transport system but the number of bus services cancelled every day has been stagnant since August.

The city was 35 drivers short, Ponter said, and while that number had dropped from about 70 earlier this year there weren’t enough drivers to support the capital city’s bus network.

Tramways Union secretary Kevin O’Sullivan predicted suspensions would worsen, describing the damage caused by changes introduced in July last year as ‘‘almost irreversible’’.

‘‘I can pretty well guarantee there will be no short-term improvement. It’s symptomatic of a very sick industry.’’

O’Sullivan said there was no easy answer to the wad of issues that faced bus drivers, which included shortages, contract conditions and tender processes.

‘‘It’s a complete mess. There’s so much that needs to be done. The cost is huge. Everyone is hamstrung as to what to do.’’

However, Ponter was a little more optimistic. He believed the council was on the right track, working with stakeholders to increase the number of drivers.

He said 50 new drivers were in training but only about half of drivers made it through the system. Despite that, he said Wellington could be fully operative in the new year.

‘‘We’ve put more effort into encouraging drivers into busdriving careers but we are also talking with the Government about the measures that may need to be taken nationally to provide better pathways [for drivers].’’

It appears on Metlink’s website that the number of suspensions had risen to 62 in a matter of months – made up of 21 NZ Bus service suspensions and 35 from Tranzurban. The rest were linked to contracts held by other parties such as taxi vans.

Metlink listed the temporary suspensions of a number of routes, effective as at October 14. Another 15 services were reinstated.

The majority of the cancelled buses have been scrapped from peak-hour times and add to the cancellation of 21 NZ Bus services announced in February.

‘‘We’ve worked towards only suspending trips that have capacity to take customers on the following or preceding bus ... operators may cancel additional trips depending on availability of drivers,’’ the Metlink website said.

Ponter said the council had agreed to the providers swapping out services and reviving others to avoid ‘‘ad hoc cancellations on a daily basis’’. The driver shortage was a national issue that the council was working to alleviate, he said.

The regional council will consider further changes to the bus system when it next meets on December 12.