Auckland bus drivers working 13 hour shifts to cover staff shortages say their employers needs to take a hard look at the poor pay and "terrible" working conditions they offer.
They have told RNZ their colleagues are turning their skills to truck or Uber driving as a more lucrative alternative, as new data reveals the bus driver recruitment problems are nationwide.
In Tāmaki Makaurau, the online job advertisements describe "competitive remuneration", "excellent working conditions" and a "flexible work / life balance."
But bus drivers working for the seven companies that make up Auckland Transport's workforce said that was not what they were experiencing.
"The conditions are terrible at the moment," Shane* said.
"The pay is not at all adequate for the job that we have to do. There's no proper security for the drivers on the bus. They're being attacked randomly, all over the place."
Auckland Transport is an estimated 270 staff short, leading to about 1400 services being cancelled each day.
Part of it is staff sickness from Covid-19, but for a long time the company has also been struggling to recruit and retain staff.
Drivers said their colleagues were increasingly turning to other forms of paid driving, or heading overseas - largely because they were not paid enough.
Auckland Transport admitted the starting wage of about $23.30 an hour was not good, and it was working with the government, Auckland Council and Waka Kotahi to lift that rate.
"It's not the greatest in terms of providing for your family... we do need a pay rise," Tamati* commented.
But workers wanted their shifts reconsidered too.
Traditionally, bus drivers have worked split shifts with a four hour break in the middle.
However, with many in Auckland now living a long way from bus depots, drivers said it was just not feasible.
"They come to work in the morning... some of them come at five o'clock, but even if they come at six, they get a little break in between. Four hours. But in four hours they can't do anything. They can't go home, because they stay too far away to travel back and forth. So they sit in the depot doing nothing, wasting their time," Shane* said.
"Then they work till seven o'clock, eight o'clock, and then go home. They have no family life at all."
Meanwhile, some drivers were working straight through that break, doing 13 or 14 hour days.
As Aryan* explained, they had been hitting the peak of the legal number of hours they could work each week.
"We can't work more, because as per NZTA [rules] we can just work 70 hours a week," he said.
Tramways Union National President Gary Froggatt described that as a "major concern".
It was legal as long as the drivers had a 10-hour stand-down period between each long shift, and a 24-hour break at the end of a 70 hour work week, he said.
But it was not helping with driver fatigue or to fill staff vacancies, he said.
"Unfortunately some employers are falling back on the legislation and saying 'well, we're allowed to roster you on that, and you sign up for that' and that doesn't help to recruit drivers into the industry."
And it was not just Auckland - bus companies described driver shortages as "nationally significant".
Metlink in Wellington had about 500 bus drivers, but said it was about 100 drivers short of being able to operate a full timetable.
In Canterbury, Metro was an estimated 40 drivers short, and said it was cancelling roughly 23 services each day.
Drivers and unions hoped the Budget's $61 million package for public transport would go straight into drivers back pockets and help with recruitment.
In the meantime, one driver worried she would have to keep letting down her passengers.
"That's our main goal - looking after them. The ones who've got to go to and from work at a certain time... now when they go to catch a bus, it's cancelled," Marie* said.
Shane said that was leading to increased frustration and aggression.
"When bus trips are missed, the passengers... they get upset with the next driver. The driver has to bear the full brunt of all the frustration."
Drivers asked passengers to be patients and understanding.
In a statement, Auckland Transport said it was working towards fewer split shifts, via what it called a 'Network Recast'.
"After several long lockdowns much work in Auckland has shifted away from the city centre. We are working with unions and bus operators to reallocate some peak resources to inter-peak and evening times."
That "will consequently lead to less split shifts," it said.
"First changes are due in August."
Labour shortage affecting other driving sectors
Bus and Coach Association chief executive Ben McFadgen told Checkpoint New Zealand's labour force was also restricting other driving focused sectors.
McFadgen said the freight industry was facing its own staffing issues, despite offering drivers an hourly wage of between $35-40.
"The freight industry itself has had problems both recruiting and retaining staff because there just isn't the labour force generally in New Zealand at the moment and they are electing to go into other roles," he said.
He dismissed the perception of bus driving as a low-skilled job, with drivers having had training in health and safety, customer relations and of course driving among other things.
Australia was proving to be an increasingly attractive option for drivers, with some roles making it possible to earn $150k-$200k a year, McFadgen said.
Although those higher paying jobs in Australia required a different skill set, some drivers had the necessary licence.
With New Zealand's cost of living crisis offering another incentive to leave, it was key that government, local councils, operators and unions all stepped in to find a solution, McFadgen said.
The Budget's $61m driver support package should be put directly into drivers' back pockets, he said.
"It's got to go to the place of greatest need and I think at the moment it's really got to go towards a wage rise to help combat the impact of the living cost rises that these people are facing - it's really hard out there."
Transport Minister calls for minimum pay agreement
Minister of Transport Michael Wood told Checkpoint the government would push for a voluntary minimum pay agreement for bus drivers.
The current public transport tender system had led the sector to a race to the bottom, he said.
Wood said the cheapest offer usually got the contract, but most of bus operators costs were wages.
"One of the easiest ways they've found to get contracts is to lower their labour cost and over a long period of time that's led to an erosion of terms and conditions.
"Many of these companies want to do the right thing, they want to pay better terms and conditions to their drivers but the whole system has been rigged against that."
Bus operators, unions and local government would work on establishing a wage baseline for drivers, as well as looking at fair conditions, he said.
"If you go into this job it's one thing to be paid well but you also want hours to work in other conditions that support your family and community life... that's complex stuff it requires the parties to negotiate and work things out in good faith and we're encouraging that process."
Wood ruled out a government ban on split shifts in the industry due to the timetable complexities transport networks face.
Final decisions on the improved model would be made in a few months, he said.
*Names have been changed for anonymity.
RNZ
