Bus company buys houses for drivers
Queenstown’s new public transport provider has been purchasing properties in Queenstown for ‘‘horrendous’’ prices to ease up employment headaches.
The Orbus Queenstown transport scheme is operated by Ritchies and is subsidised by Otago Regional Council, Queenstown Lakes District Council and the NZ Transport agency.
The $2 service was launched on November 20.
Ritchies’ transport director Andrew Ritchie said he had had to buy several homes in Queenstown to house bus drivers.
‘‘We own a couple of flats as well. We have to provide accommodation in Queenstown otherwise we just can’t get staff.’’
House prices were ‘‘horrendous’’ in the resort but Ritchies had to fund it. ‘‘I don’t like, if I have to tell you the truth.’’
The profit of the service were ‘‘very, very tight’’.
However, the expenses would be worth it in the long run, Ritchie said.
Finding full-time bus driver was the biggest issue for running the service, however, it was an industrywide trend, he said.
‘‘Hopefully we can get more local people in there and it will all come right.’’
Drivers were brought in from other parts of the country to work in the resort.
The company’s Queenstown manager, Nyall Fraser, who was helping out with driving, said Queenstown residents were not applying for jobs.
It would be ‘‘nice’’ to have another 10 to 12 drivers.
‘‘All of our staff end up driving at peak times – from mechanic through to office staff. Everybody is out there.’’
Drivers were currently working 11-hour shifts, instead of eight hours.
The shortage of drivers was also due to some having to return to their home branches to operate school buses, Fraser said.
Passenger numbers have more then doubled in the year since Queenstown’s $2 bus launch.
Over 100,000 passenger trips were taken on Orbus Queenstown this January compared to 41,000 trips taken on the resort’s former commercial bus service in the same month last year.
Otago Regional Council chairman Stephen Woodhead said the popularity of the $2 bus exceeded council’s expectations.
‘‘The passenger numbers tell us that Queenstown has literally got on board.’’
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult was also ‘‘over the moon’’ with the success of Orbus.
‘‘Every single one of these passengers is potentially a car off the road so this is a huge benefit to Queenstown.
‘‘It’s worth remembering this if you see a bus trying to get out into traffic – they are doing everyone a huge service so be sure to show them a little courtesy and let them in. The better the bus service operates, the more people will use it and the less traffic we’ll see on the roads,’’ Boult said.
Regional council representatives gathered feedback from Queenstown community and business groups on Wednesday.
Their support services manager Gerard Collings said late and missed services were operational challenges.
About 0.5 per cent of the 7500 Orbus trips were missed in January, he said.