Traffic congestion around the Dunedin Bus Hub, driver retirements, health and depleted resources have all been cited as causes for a recent spate of missed buses in Dunedin. The Otago Regional Council yesterday provided data which showed that the number of missed trips this month had increased by 4.2% to date. However, the Otago Daily Times understands not all routes are affected equally, and further a change in operators for a large number of routes was having an effect. Bus services are contracted to two providers across the city at present — Ritchies and GoBus — and Ritchies is due to hand over the bulk of its services to GoBus in September and early October. Ritchies transport delegate Catherine Bowden said there was always going to be some teething issues with the changeover. “The other concern I have that impacts their time is Great King St. The traffic there and the other day it took me eight minutes to get from the hospital to the bus stop to stand there. “Now, heaven help if it’s an ambulance needing to get somewhere in a hurry, and unfortunately there’s a lot of roadworks going on at the moment, but when we've got all the exits off all the grocery stores coming into the hub and that's the dominant one people use, it slows everything down.” While there had been some retirements that had led to gaps in the service, Ms Bowden said traffic near the bus hub was also a factor. “Our office has to do a juggling act and sometimes I leapfrog and come straight to the hub in order to meet that person so that he or she gets to start on time and that kind of thing.” She said she understood people’s frustrations about buses not coming on time, or arriving without warning, but there were often chain reactions which caused this. Ill-health was also a reason why some routes did not follow schedule. “The other day, one of the men was off because his 4-year-old daughter was sick and home from kindy. So, it's winter flus and ills. "And I think everybody's mindful of the customers’ need to get to work and stuff. "I think all transitional processes are tricky.” Tramways Union secretary Philip Mathews said he was aware of Ritchies staff doing their best with fewer resources. “I know we’ve got a few of them already coming over to GoBus now, and I heard there's a few more coming over in August. “I did hear today from one of the drivers that Ritchies have got some people that could be coming down from Auckland to help keep the runs going.”
