22 Jul 2018

Regional Council urged to step into Wgtn bus driver dispute

7:23 pm on 22 July 2018

The Public Transport Users Association is demanding the Greater Wellington Regional Council step in to deal with the ongoing dispute between the driver's union and Tranzit.

Wellington Go Bus bus.

Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski

Hutt Valley drivers employed by the bus company have voted to take industrial action from tomorrow to protest what they said were unlawful and dangerous shifts.

The regional council said it was not the bus company and therefore accepted no responsibility.

Public Transport Users Association's Jon Reeves said that was not good enough.

"Greater Wellington City Council have said that it's out of their hands, it's nothing to do with them, well in fact it is completely in their hands. They issued the contract, they pay the bus company money to run these services, they should now actually step up on behalf of all the bus users in the greater Wellington area and actually get involved in the negotiations."

Jon Reeves said that the regional council should make amends to bus passengers by offering them one month of free travel.