Thread by @nashthomas

I really want to apologise for the cancellations of bus services in Wellington at the moment. We are short of about 60 drivers and we urgently need to improve pay and conditions so we can attract more people to the profession. Some thoughts on what’s happening and what to do.🧵

Bus drivers are employed by private bus companies and under the public transport model designed by the previous National government, the system prioritises profit over public good and has placed downward pressure on pay and conditions. This system is failing all of us.

Wages aren’t keeping up with the cost of living and split shifts are a killer. The covid situation has piled more risk and pressure on drivers, who kept us going as essential workers during the pandemic. As a result it has become harder and harder to retain and recruit drivers.

So what to do? Firstly, today the council announced we will change the timetable to run fewer services because of the lack of drivers. This will make it easier for passengers to plan journeys and mean fewer cancellations. But we need more services not fewer, so it’s frustrating.

Secondly we are working to improve wages. We’ve worked with the government to set the Living Wage as a base rate for all drivers, we’re supporting a fair deal for the drivers negotiating with NZ Bus and we’re advocating for a national agreement on fair pay and conditions.

Thirdly we are working on a submission to the Min of Transport on the Public Transport Operating Model, pushing for public ownership of buses and bus infrastructure. Public ownership of these assets will increase coordination and strategic control and likely reduce costs overall.

This will all take time - time to repair the damage done over years of devaluing public transport as a public good and undervaluing the workers that provide this essential service. I see a Regional Council committed to these changes. In the meantime I am sorry about the buses.

It won’t solve all the problems and isn’t a quick fix, but if you’re in a position to submit by Friday, the government is consulting on the Public Transport Operating Model. You can advocate for better driver pay and conditions and public ownership here: transport.govt.nz/area-of-intere….