Australia, Bus Industry News

Union says Hobart bus services could be slashed due to shortage

Comments from the Tasmanian premier and the RTBU suggest a Tasmanian operator could be set to cut an unprecedented number of services in Hobart

A Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) spokesperson says Tasmanian operator Metro Tasmania could be forced to slash Hobart services due to the ongoing driver shortage.

The transport union says that Metro Tasmania could be set to remove up to 155 services in and around Hobart due to the lack of drivers.

RTBU state secretary Ric Bean says the union has been told that these services are set to be permanently removed from Metro Tasmania’s usual timetable.

Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff has also answered questions on this topic, confirming that the state government is working to make changes to handle this issue.

“I’m aware of some changes that Metro are working through to ensure that we do improve that consistency and reliability and enable us to address what is a challenging time in terms of workforce pressures,” Rockliff told reporters this week.

Rockliff hasn’t listed what the changes will be, with Bean from the RTBU saying the cancellation of services in one day would be an extreme move.

Bean spoke to ABC News, calling for Metro to pay drivers more to resolve issues.

In response, Metro Tasmania Katie Cooper told ABC News that the operator was removing roughly 70 trips per day on average due to a high number of disruptions.

“The issue has been created by staff shortages, which is a national problem in a tight labour market,” Cooper told ABC News.

“Metro continues to work to deliver better service reliability while implementing longer-term measures to recruit and retain bus operators.”

Tasmanian Labor spokesperson Josh Willie has also reinforced the notion that these cancellations were having a negative impact on the state’s economy.

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