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Transport Minister Michael Wood has been touring the NZ bus depot and checking out new protective screens for drivers following a nearly $50 million investment in wages and condtions. Wood’s tour was at the NZ Bus depot on Wynyard Quarter on Tuesday, where he met with speaking bus drivers and union representatives. His visit follows the Budget 2023 announcement of a $49.3 million investment in bus driver wages and improving bus driver conditions – on top of the 2022 budget investment of $62m. Wood’s said he came to work on the 25L where he thinks 100 people joined him on that bus this morning. READ MORE:
“It’s no secret we’ve had a real shortage of bus drivers.”
On May 18 amid a slew of budget announcements, the government announced public transport would be free for children under 13, and half price for people under 25. The government also intends to raise driver base wages to $30 per hour for urban bus drivers, $28 for regional bus drivers, and introduce split shift allowances of $30 per split shift. There would also be penal rates for those working after 9pm. “This delivers an average 58 percent increase to bus drivers pay since we took office,” Wood said at the time. Sapeer Mayron/Stuff
Transport Minister Michael Wood tried out the drivers seat, with the new addition of a protective screen
The cheaper fares, increase in driver wages and conditions and boosting the number of drivers is hoped to drive New Zealand’s climate warming emissions down. On Thursday, Climate Change Minister James Shaw said the funding boost will take cars off the road and cut pollution. City Rail Link chief executive Sean Sweeney. (File photo)
Meanwhile, the highly anticipated $5.5 billion City Rail Link (CRL) will not open until 2026 or later, according to reports in the NZ Herald. It’s some 18 months more than forecasted, and comes amid a budget blowout of over $4 billion. CRL chief executive Dr Sean Sweeney said while it’s hoped the CRL will be handed over to Auckland Transport and Kiwirail in November 2025, there will be extensive testing after that will delay when commuters can begin riding the new network. “As a ballpark guess, I’d say six months, but people need to understand that numbers could change a lot, based on what happens,” Sweeney said, on how long that testing might take. In a statement to Stuff, the CRL media manager said Auckland Transport and KiwiRail will decide when the 3.4km track will open. “Once built and handed over to KiwiRail and Auckland Transport, the new systems need to be linked into the existing older systems, with significant testing required,” Nick Smith said. “Processes needed before opening include testing the trains and infrastructure, training drivers, new safety procedures and linking the new systems into the old. “Overseas experience shows the linking of new and old technology is a major risk to the project and will take time.”

Transport minister visits drivers amid bus shortage woes

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Out of a total of 559 drivers, 327 will be employed in Auckland. (File photo)
After endless cancellations every day, bus bosses say an end to public transport woes may be in sight. An “intense recruitment campaign” will deliver 559 new bus drivers across Aotearoa in the coming weeks – with more than 300 to be stationed in Auckland . Kinetic Group, owner of NZ Bus and Go Bus Transport, said the mass recruitment will “solve the nationwide post-Covid driver shortage ”. “We are now in discussions with all the regional councils we serve on dates for the return of full timetables,” said Head of Kinetic in New Zealand Calum Haslop. READ MORE:
In November, Auckland Transport bowed to the reality of a major bus driver shortage , reducing frequencies on many routes to a level it thought it could deliver. At the start of May, passengers to Auckland’s North Shore were experiencing “extreme” delays due to further cancellations
Haslop said the two companies had spent the last six months conducting a campaign that’s targeted at both overseas and local drivers. “Through the enormous efforts of our Auckland recruitment teams, we have recruited enough drivers to enable a return to full services over the coming weeks. KAI SCHWOERER/THE PRESS
There are only three chances to catch a direct bus from Rolleston to Christchurch CBD in the morning. Reporter Keiller MacDuff found out how the strained bus services are coping with the volume of passengers. “We’ve made a large investment to bring in drivers quickly from the Philippines, India and Fiji to supplement our local recruitment endeavours,” Haslop said. Auckland Transport’s Richard Harrison said the deficit of drivers had halved from its peak of 570 drivers to 295 today. He isn’t expecting to be back at full capacity until September. “In order to achieve this we need to reinstate suspended services as well as significantly reducing the volume of unplanned cancellations,” Harrison said. Haslop said that since November, Kinetic had recruited 327 drivers for Auckland, 82 for Wellington, 57 for Tauranga, 31 for Hamilton, 50 for Christchurch and 12 for Dunedin. RICKY WILSON/STUFF
In late 2022, 15% of Auckland’s bus services were cancelled on a daily basis. (File photo)
The company will ensure all drivers coming from overseas have their accommodation, banking, tax and transport needs met until they have a chance to make their own arrangements, he said. “Training, of course, is super important, and getting all the licences and permits sorted can take some time. “Fortunately, all the authorities we work with, such as Waka Kotahi and VTNZ, are mindful of the need to get bus drivers on the road and have been very helpful.”
NZ Bus and Go Bus Transport are in discussion with Auckland Transport on dates for the return to full timetables . Kinetic’s announcement comes just four days after the Government announced that part of the Budget 2023 will free buses for children and cheap buses for young people. The Government said they would pay about $80 million each year for under 13s to ride buses, trains and ferries for free. It said it would also provide half-priced public transport for people under 25.

Bus bosses hail ‘return to full timetables’ with 559 new drivers on board

Wellington bus driver awarded close to $30,000 for wrongful dismissal over damaged window
MONIQUE FORD/Stuff
Bus driver Paul Abigail said he had not realise a window had been broken after stopping to investigate a loud bang heard after connecting with a lampost. His employers said the accident should have been reported. (File photo)
A Wellington bus company has been ordered to pay a driver of more than 20 years close to $30,000 after the Employment Relations Authority found he was wrongfully dismissed. Paul Abigail​ worked as a driver for Wellington City Transport Ltd [WCT]​, a subsidiary of NZ Bus, but was dismissed for failing to report an accident where a window was broken after his bus connected with a lamp post in Strathmore. While Abigail stopped the bus to check after hearing a loud noise he did not realise a rear window of the bus was cracked. The company claimed he was aware of the accident, and thus should have reported the incident, because he stopped. A decision by the ERA released on Monday found in Abigail’s favour. READ MORE:
The incident occurred on July 5 last year while Abigail was turning a corner while driving a bus in Strathmore, the decision said. After failing to see the cracked window he finished his shift for the day and parked the bus outside the workshops, for planned maintenance, as he had been requested to do by the bus dispatcher at the beginning of the day. Abigail described it as a “relatively small window, which is covered almost completely by the folding doors when those doors are open” and said no passenger mentioned the broken window. Monique Ford/Stuff
The incident occurred on July 5, last year whole Abigail was turning a corner while driving a bus in Strathmore. He stopped to check but found no damage. (File photo)
A few days later on July 8, the then-regional operations manager Ken Pearson​ invited Abigail to an investigation meeting over the failure to report the incident. He outlined his view it was clear Abigail was aware of the accident because he had heard a bang, and had stopped the bus and inspected it. Abigail was later dismissed with immediate effect on July 14, which left him feeling “gutted”. He started a new job on October 27, about 15 weeks later. WCT said it was important all accidents were reported, “regardless of severity, including accidents with fixed objects”. However, the authority found WTC’s policy does not go so far as to say that drivers must report “all unusual incidents, such as the noise which [Abigail] heard”. STUFF
Transport Minister Michael Wood announces a $61 million Government boost for bus driver pay to $30 an hour for urban drivers and $28 for regional drivers. (Video November 2022)
The authority determined the dismissal was “motivated in substantial part” by Pearson’s determination to apply the new accident reporting policy “strictly”. “WTC did not properly consider [Abigail’s] explanation, nor did it consider the logical limitations of its own policy,” the decision said. It ordered WTC to pay $21,736.20 as lost remuneration and an additional $8000 as compensation for hurt and humiliation. NZ Bus has 146 buses in Wellington where it operates services on behalf of Greater Wellington Regional Council.

Wellington bus driver awarded close to $30,000 for wrongful dismissal over damaged window

Monday, 27 March, 2023 - 13:02
New Zealand Green Investment Finance has signed a major financing deal with Kinetic - Australasia’s largest bus transport operator - to help decarbonise public transport in New Zealand. NZGIF’s $50m capex facility will finance electric buses and associated infrastructure, and is part of a broader senior lending syndicate supporting Kinetic’s strategic vision and sustainability goals. Kinetic has ambitious plans to support councils in transitioning public bus fleets from diesel to battery electric buses. Kinetic has already delivered over 150 electric buses to New Zealand streets in partnership with councils in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Tauranga. In January Kinetic unveiled New Zealand’s first and Australasia’s largest fully electric bus depot. The Panmure (Auckland) site is home to 35 electric buses, which are among 152 the company will deliver in partnership with Auckland Transport over the next two years. The NZGIF facility will be used to accelerate the decarbonisation of New Zealand’s public transport fleet, and is enough to fund more than 150 zero-emission buses over the term of the facility. If fully drawn, the facility will help New Zealand avoid more than 100,000 tonnes of CO 2 emissions over the life of the assets. NZGIF Chief Executive Craig Weise said the deal was an important step for New Zealand’s public transport system. "If New Zealand is going to meet its CO 2 emissions reductions targets, we’re going to need to dramatically increase the number of low and zero-carbon emission buses on our roads. "Only around 5% of public buses in New Zealand are electric at the moment, so there’s room for a huge improvement. The technology is readily available but, until now, financing for the New Zealand market just hasn’t been there. "We were established precisely to help catalyse these sorts of deals, and to collaborate with other like-minded organisations to build a low carbon economy. "It’s great to be working with Kinetic, which is not only the largest bus operator in Australasia but one of the fastest growing as well. They’re already well established in New Zealand through their acquisitions of NZ Bus and Go Bus, and we’re excited to be working with them and the broader lending syndicate to help reduce public transport emissions." Kinetic Co-CEO Michael Sewards said the support of NZGIF recognised Kinetic’s strategic vision and sustainability goals. "The strength of our lending syndicate recognises the evolution and diversification of the Kinetic platform across Australasia and our trusted partnerships with government regulators and regional councils to accelerate the decarbonisation of public transport," Mr Sewards said. "In our experience New Zealand is leading the charge on the global stage on the transition to zero emission busing, and we’re prepared with adequate support to meet both community expectation and the government mandate for the full decarbonisation of urban buses in New Zealand by 2035." All articles and comments on Voxy.co.nz have been submitted by our community of users. Please notify us if you believe an item on this site breaches our community guidelines .

Major deal to bring zero emission buses to New Zealand - NZGIF

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“Auckland Transport need to make a lot of changes,” a stabbed bus driver says. (File photo)
An bus driver who was left seriously injured when he was stabbed by a passenger in Auckland’s Mt Roskill has hit out at the lack of safety measures in place to protect drivers. On Saturday night, Alapati Wilson, 58, was stabbed by a passenger on the side of his ribs just beneath his chest, with the knife scraping his lung. ”It was a close call – I had air between my lung and membrane, I had air close to my heart,” Wilson said on Tuesday, speaking publicly for the first time since the assault. Wilson was taken to Auckland City Hospital in a serious condition where he was monitored overnight, before being discharged late on Sunday. READ MORE:
The assault left Wilson’s girlfriend and children “terrified and angry”, as they rushed to be by his side in hospital. Although he’s “happy to be home”, Wilson is nervous about returning to work, which he hopes he’ll be able to do in the next couple of weeks. “There’s no assurance I’ll be safe – anyone can walk on the bus any time and stab you while you’re not looking,” he said. This was the first time Wilson had been physically assaulted in his nine-year stint as a bus driver, but not the first time he had received abuse. CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF
A NZ-owned company has designed and built an electric bus which has been unveiled by Transport Minister Michael Wood, but he admits a driver shortage could put bumps in the road. (Video first published October 11, 2022)
“We get verbally assaulted all the time, we’re used to it. It’s a ticking time bomb.”
Wilson hopes to see protective screens installed on Auckland Transport buses to shield drivers, along with more training for all personnel in the event of an attack . “Auckland Transport need to make a lot of changes.”
Wilson said drivers are told not to engage in altercations with passengers, and instead allow them on to buses even if they say they cannot pay for the ride. When approached by Stuff, a spokesperson for Auckland Transport said that it’s working closely with NZ Bus and police following the incident. “We’re working to increase police visibility and security measures around trouble spots . “We’re also trialling protective screens that can be placed around the drivers’ seats, but that might take some time because we need to make sure we get it right as it’s quite a costly process,” the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said Wilson had received “de-escalation training” prior to the assault. NZ Bus, which contracts drivers out to Auckland Transport, will conduct a health and safety review into the incident. It will then be passed back to Auckland Transport, the spokesperson said. NZ Bus has been approached for comment. Police confirmed an ambulance was called to White Swan Rd in Mt Roskill at about 7.45pm on Saturday, after reports someone had been seriously injured. A 62-year-old man was arrested in relation to the incident and charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Stabbed bus driver says lack of protection, abuse is a ‘ticking time bomb’

Greater Wellington Regional Council develops policies to direct the activities of Greater Wellington. It develops policies for environment management, flood protection, land management, provision of regional parks, public transport planning and funding, and metropolitan water supply. The council was founded in 1980 and is based in Wellington, New Zealand.

Greater Wellington Regional Council

NZ Bus has now completed all directly appointed unit contract negotiations with Auckland Transport and the Greater Wellington Regional Council .

NZ Bus successfully concludes Wellington contracts - Infratil

Auckland Transport is responsible for all of the region’s transport services. It offers transportation services on the roads and footpaths, including cycling, parking, and public transport services. It was founded in 2010 and is based in Auckland, New Zealand.

Auckland Transport

Mix Telematics is a global provider of fleet and mobile asset management solutions delivered as SaaS. The company's solutions deliver a measurable return by enabling our customers to manage, optimize and protect their investments in commercial fleets or personal vehicles. Mix Telematics generates actionable intelligence that enables a wide range of customers, from large enterprise fleets to small fleet operators and consumers, to reduce fuel and other operating costs, improve efficiency, enhance regulatory compliance, promote driver safety, manage risk and mitigate theft. The company's solutions rely on its highly scalable technology platform, which allows us to collect, analyze and deliver data from our customers' vehicles. Using an intuitive, web-based interface, our fleet customers can access large volumes of historical and real-time data, monitor the location and status of their drivers and vehicles and view a wide selection of reports and key performance indicator dashboards.

Mix Telematics

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Deloitte - Australia

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NZ Bus is a public bus operator based in Wellington, NZ. On March 14th, 2022, NZ Bus was acquired by Kinetic. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Name	Work History	Title	Status
Ian Grose	Deloitte - Australia	Chief Financial Officer	Current
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Work History	Deloitte - Australia	Subscribe to see more
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