Bay bus drivers paid top dollar
Council says it’s tackling critical shortage head on
Bay of Plenty bus drivers are now among the highest paid in New Zealand after Bay of Plenty Regional Council recently agreed to sweeping wage rises, to $28 an hour.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council public transport director Greg Campbell said the approval to significantly raise the hourly wage was an emphatic step addressing the critical national shortage of bus drivers head on.
“This wage rise will attract new drivers to the role,” Mr Campbell said.
“Across New Zealand, public transport operators are experiencing bus driver shortages and we see this as being a critical step in the right direction towards addressing that.
“We recognise the benefit a reliable, efficient public transport network can make to a town, city and region. By making sure we’re keeping up with what is expected and attractive to drivers in pay rates, we are confident that we will be able to lift our current recruitment situation, and in turn the contribution our networks make to growing and supporting the Bay of Plenty.”
Head of Kinetic NZ Calum Haslop said NZ Bus, which operates the Tauranga city bus services, had been working with its council partners for some time to improve wages for our drivers and they were delighted with this outcome. “We required council’s support as the way our contracts adjust for cost increases over time has made it difficult to keep pace with wage increases across other sectors. NZ Bus is committed to making bus driving an attractive opportunity for a broad range of people by maintaining competitive wages, being a well-regarded and trusted employer, and looking after our people.”
“NZ Bus is working hard to address the current shortage of drivers and a return to providing full timetables across our services in Tauranga.”