Thirty-one new bus drivers are behind the wheel on Wellington’s streets this year, the capital’s regional council says, with the pay increases announced in last week’s Budget expected to attract more.
The city had 575 drivers in April but is aiming to get to 675 by September in a bid to end the city’s chronic bus cancellations.
Between May 17 and May 23, 1426 bus services were cancelled across Wellington. By far, the largest number were TranzUrban services, with 1366 services cancelled. By contrast, NZ Bus cancelled 44 and Mana cancelled 16.
Metlink general manager Samantha Gain said cancellation rates in February this year were around 10 percent but have declined to about seven percent during May.
Since November, Tranzurban, which operate 60% of the Metlink network, has hired 72 new bus drivers for Wellington, including 37 from Fiji and the Philippines. It also hired eight drivers for Auckland.
