Auckland bus strike: What you need to know
Monday, 9 December 2019
Tens of thousands of Aucklanders will be hit on Monday as a strike by 800 drivers at one of the city's biggest operators, NZ Bus, rolls into its first weekday.
Last minute talks between the two unions, Tramways and First Union, and the company failed to resolve the stand-off which disrupted services through the weekend.
Here is what you need to know:
Q: Are all buses in Auckland cancelled?
A: No, Only those run by NZ Bus, these account for about 35 per cent of all Auckland services, but routes covered by other companies will continue as normal.
**READ MORE:
* Auckland bus strike: 100 drivers suspended with no pay until Christmas Eve
* Auckland bus strike: NZ Bus services cancelled from Saturday
* Auckland bus strike: 50 NZ Bus services cancelled during morning rush
* Auckland buses to provide free fares during strike action**
Q: How many people does that affect?
A: Around 150,000 bus trips are made each day in Auckland. AT has estimated that 70,000 passenger trips could be affected by the strike.
Q: Which areas are most affected?
A: NZ Bus' biggest area is central Auckland, all of the Link services, and those serving the main isthmus arterials to eastern suburbs and along Mt Eden, Dominion and Sandringham Roads, as well as some to the outer west and northwest, and on the North Shore. Check with Auckland Transport.
Q: If my area is affected, will there be no buses at all?
A: In some areas, more than one company passes through, such as Howick and Eastern services which run through Newmarket to the CBD, or from West Auckland, some routes are run by Pavlovich's so you may be able to find one. Another operator Ritchies has stepped in to run a limited service along Dominion and Mt Eden Roads.
Q: Why did it suddenly change from buses running but fares not being collected, to the buses being cancelled?
A: It is complicated. Auckland Transport pays NZ Bus to run services, and Auckland Transport gets all the fare money. When the drivers extended their strike notice through to Christmas, NZBus decided that under its contract with AT, it could not continue that for an extended period.
Q: How much do the bus drivers want?
A: The unions won't disclose the claim and counter-claim in their pay talks, but rejected a 2 per cent offer. They also want a reduction in the length of a working day, which with a split-shift can extend over 14 hours.
Q: Can NZ Bus not afford that ?
A: That is really complicated. The companies have won contracts from Auckland Transport at a price based on how much they think it will cost them to run the services, and a profit on top, so big changes to a bus company's costs may not necessarily result in higher payments from AT.
Q: The unions plan to protest outside Auckland Transport on Monday, why?
A: For the reasons above, the unions have been lobbying the government, councils and the bus industry for a long time to scrap the government-regulated contracting system, which the unions say has lowered the cost of bus services, at the expense of drivers' pay and conditions.
Q: Is nothing happening on that front?
The government has acknowledged there is a problem and agreed to look for industry-wide answers, but the unions say it is not moving fast enough.