Bus, train cancellations hit 2000 a day as Covid-19 bites in Auckland

Thursday, 14 July 2022

The first trip through the extension to Auckland's Northern Busway on May 6, 2022.

A cocktail of Covid-19 cases, winter sickness and staff shortages has pushed cancellations on Auckland’s public transport network to record levels.

The number of services cancelled daily is close to 2000, up from 1400 two months ago.

The disruption is occurring mostly on bus services and amounts to one in seven of Auckland’s weekday services not running.

Auckland Transport has been trying to spread cancellations across frequent routes rather than leaving big gaps on less frequent ones, but commuters have said consecutive services have not turned up.

* Covid-19: West Auckland buses cut as Covid worsens driver shortage

A screenshot of cancelled services, in pink, on Auckland Transport's mobile app.

* Bus driver shortage and ferry unreliability add to Auckland public transport woes

The disruption is hitting 30% more services than at the peak of the Covid-19 Delta variant outbreak in 2021.

Auckland Transport is trying to build a clearer picture from the region’s bus companies as to the relative roles of Covid-19, other sicknesses and staff shortages.

The city is short about 200 or more bus drivers, according to Garry Froggatt, the president of the Auckland Tramways Union.

The unions, bus companies and central and local government have been in discussion for several years on improving work conditions for bus drivers to make the job more appealing.

Froggatt said split shifts spreading across up to 14 hours a day made bus driving less attractive than truck driving for many.

Patronage of the city’s public transport services is still significantly lower than before the arrival of the pandemic, averaging between 55% and 60% of pre-Covid levels on weekdays.