Dude, where’s my bus?

Wellington bus companies have come under fire over increasing numbers of cancelled services, but it appears little can be done to fix the problem.

Metlink says between five and seven services are likely to be dropped every day. A spokesman acknowledged last week that recent times had seen higher numbers, but could not provide exact figures.

‘‘The numbers can vary – for example, today we had seven services cancelled – but a bad day can mean about 15-20 cancelled services.’’

Metlink runs about 3400 services across the Wellington region each day.

The spokesman said a national shortage of qualified drivers meant there were few spare drivers to fill unexpected absences.

‘‘Morning peak time is the greatest risk, because that is when the system is working at maximum capacity.

‘‘However, it is also when services are most frequent – many routes will have another bus coming within five minutes to 10 minutes if a service is cancelled.

‘‘We know this can be frustrating for customers and we are sorry, because it is not the reliable service we want to provide.’’

Under current contracts, operators were not paid for services they did not run. However, they did not face any penalties.

This would change under new contracts, which take effect in the Wairarapa in April, the Hutt Valley on June 17, and the rest of the region on July 15.

‘‘Those will have penalties and incentives around performance.’’

Greater Wellington regional councillor Daran Ponter said there had been a ‘‘real problem’’ in some parts of the city during the morning peak since late last year, and pointed the finger directly at NZ Bus and Newlands Coach Services.

Both companies are contracted by the regional council to operate commuter services in Wellington.

The problem appeared to be worst in Berhampore, Woodlands, and Paparangi.

‘‘It’s really frustrating for commuters who are experiencing, on a regular basis, having to explain to their bosses why they’re late, [and] having to make up time at the end of the day.’’

Regional council chairman Chris Laidlaw said he was frustrated at the situation.

NZ Bus general manager of operations Claire Neville said the company, which will lose the majority of its Wellington contracts from July, would no longer be responding to media requests.

Newlands Coach Services chief executive Ian Turner said some services had been cancelled ‘‘due to shortage of staff, and sickness’’.

‘‘We obviously make arrangements to cover that by using other drivers, but there’s a limit to what we can do.’’

The company had not considered hiring additional drivers, Turner said.