Up to 500 bus drivers at Brisbane City Council's Toowong depot have walked off the job in strike this afternoon
Up to 500 bus drivers at Brisbane City Council’s Toowong depot have walked off the job in strike this afternoon over claims a casual driver was treated unfairly.
A Translink spokesman says the agency first learned of the strike at 2pm this afternoon.
Brisbane commuters are being warned of lengthy delays at peak hour.
Bus routes on the 300 and 400 series to suburbs including Inala, Forest Lake, Jindalee, Kenmore, Moggill, Indooroopilly and Toowong are affected by this afternoon’s driver action.
Initial reports suggest the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RBTU) is acting on behalf of a driver who appeared in a Channel Nine report on Monday (December 7).
The driver clashed with a news crew after a child’s foot was caught in the back door of a bus.
One anecdotal report relayed to ABC suggests the driver was stood-down after the incident.
However Brisbane City Council’s Public Transport Chair, Jane Prentice, told Fairfax Radio 4BC the driver acted inappropriately and aggressively after he “lost it”.
“The depot manager asked (the driver) to be interviewed about it and said that we would be standing him down pending an interview … he refused to be interviewed,” she says.
“It isn’t the sort of behaviour we want to see in our bus drivers.”
Cr Prentice said the driver was a casual and had resigned in the wake of the incident.
Unconfirmed reports suggest the strike action may continue for 24-hours.
The following routes also originate from the Toowong depot and may potentially be affected: 100, 105, 108, 110, 136, 142, 170, 222, 360, 361, 363, 370, 372, 373, 379, 380, 384, 385, 390, 411, 412, 425, 426, 430, 433, 444, 445, 454, 460, 461, City Loop, 598.
The RBTU is being sought for comment.