By Justin Wong, Local Democracy Reporter
The temporary work visas of many Wellington bus drivers are running out this year. Photo: Robert Kitchin / The Post
The future of about 50 Wellington bus drivers is unclear, with work visas for many of them expiring in the next few months.
Most of the drivers, hired from overseas to fill vacancies in 2022 and 2023 to relieve shortages in the capital, had already applied for residency or visa extensions under tougher English language requirements, but they were still waiting for the results.
Papers for the Greater Wellington Regional Council's public transport committee on Thursday said that of the 139 drivers employed on accredited employer work visas, 10 got New Zealand residency and 65 had extended their visas, although nine would be leaving.
Among the remaining 55, the visas for all but four of 26 drivers who applied for an extension run out in March and April. Nine drivers applied for residency, with six people's visas expiring in March and April. There are 15 drivers who are still preparing to extend their visas, with nine visas expiring in July. Five drivers were "status not known".
Nationwide, about 20 percent of public transport bus drivers are on temporary visas, with 72 percent of those expiring in 2026. In Wellington, Tranzurban and Kinetic are the only bus operators to hire overseas bus drivers.
The number of Wellington drivers trying to satisfy new language requirements was down from about 100 in December. Applicants for visa extensions and residency must score 6.5 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or exceed equivalent scores in other English language tests to get visa extensions and residency - the same grades for postgraduate students.
"Even the fact that six of our drivers in the community [are] unavailable [will] still be a decent amount of disruption," said Tom James, the deputy chairperson of the council's public transport committee, adding it was also a fairness issue for the drivers.
"The operators will have to work with the bus drivers to get as many of them through as they can in the time available," said Daran Ponter, the council chairperson.
The council had warned an exodus of experienced bus drivers because of immigration rules would see a return to bus shortages and cripple the regional economy.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford refused to relax the language requirements, despite an open letter by the bus and coach industry association asking to drop the IELTS score to 5.5 and a petition signed by migrant drivers that called the requirement unreasonable.
Kinetic and Tranzurban told the council that immigration status posed no risk to services, Thursday's meeting paper said. Both operators said their current staffing levels were stable thanks to strong recruitment at home.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
