Bus drivers 'frightened' of getting lost with some given hours to learn bus route changes

Monday, 9 July 2018

As Auckland Transport beds in new routes and times, some bus drivers are frightened of forgetting their routes with some only given hours to learn them, according to a union representative.

This claim has been rejected by AT which said drivers had received the new timetables some time ago.

Major changes to Auckland Transport's bus routes became official on Sunday but many drivers were 'frightened' they would get lost according to a spokesperson from NZ Tramways Union spokesman Gary Froggatt. 

As part of the changes 20 bus drivers were temporarily transferred from a depot in Onehunga to one in Swanson, then given new bus routes, Froggatt said. 'All of them said they don't know the area, they don't know the routes, they've only had a little bit of training and they're frightened that they're going to get lost.'

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NZ Tramways Union represents bus drivers from NZ Bus which operates bus services for AT.

Bus drivers at one bus depot received new instructions as late as Monday, Froggatt said. 

Drivers were handed a letter telling them where they should fill up for fuel.

None of the drivers knew where the petrol station named on the letter was, Froggatt said.

'If they don't know where the bloody petrol station is, they won't be able to fuel the bus.'

Froggatt said AT only gave companies like NZ Bus a week's notice about changes needed for the bus routes. 

'Previously they were given six weeks in advance so you knew what the story is.

'It's not a good system when there are wholesale changes and the bus drivers are left to their own devices.'

Anthony Cross, AT Network Manager, denied claims that bus drivers and companies were not informed of the changes in advance.

'Certainly it's not true to say that they've got the timetables in the last week.

'They've had the timetables for some time,'  Cross said.

Froggatt said they raised these concerns with NZ Bus management on Thursday but were told it was now 'too late'.

Some drivers were given a day to learn completely new routes in new suburbs while others were given half a day, Froggatt said. 

Drivers had also been given a left-to-right guidebooks to allow them to navigate routes by seeing what was coming up on either side of them but Froggatt said these were difficult to use while driving. 

What was needed was time for drivers to actually drive the route and learn it, Froggatt said. 

Froggatt said during other bus route changes passengers had sometimes helped bus drivers out by pointing them in the right direction. 

'Some passengers will send you down the way they want to go too.'