Philip Matthews said he was "really rapt" with the news from the Otago Regional Council that bus driver rates would be increased from $23.65 an hour to $27.76 an hour, but he would be even more happy to see the difference in his bank account.
At the depot there had been lots of high-fives, clapping and hugging between the workmates when they found out.
It had been a long road and they had got there by sticking together, he said.
The bus service had been "so short on drivers it’s unbelievable" but was looking forward to services getting back to normal.
He had already heard from two people who were considering returning to driving now it made financial sense to do so.
A bus driver for 25 years, Mr Mathews said the first thing he planned to do with his new paycheck was get a haircut, as for the last two years he had cut it himself or with assistance from a friend.
Tramways Union Dunedin president Alan Savell was "just ecstatic" about the rise, which recognised the hard work and long hours that bus drivers did.
Members of the public had got behind bus drivers who had noticed a huge increase in the numbers of people waving goodbye and saying hello to them.
People had been "horrified" to discover how little bus drivers were earning, Mr Savell said.
More than 2000 people were qualified to drive buses in Otago and the pay would attract some back to the role.
Tramways Union national president Gary Froggatt said the raise was good news for Dunedin’s drivers, who had been behind the national average for some time.
However, the move would "not quite" result in Otago having the best paid drivers in the country, as Go Bus in Auckland was paying drivers $28 an hour, Mr Froggatt said.
In a statement, Otago Regional Council interim chief executive Dr Pim Borren said the decision earlier this year to lift wages to the living wage had always been considered a first step.
The aim of the pay boost was to address the driver shortages affecting the Queenstown and Dunedin bus services.
"We anticipate a return to full timetable services after the December and January summer period," Dr Borren said.
The increase would take bus drivers to the minimum hourly rate of pay required by Immigration New Zealand which would then allow bus operators to recruit staff offshore, he said.
He was taking personal responsibility for improving services and options to explore potential joint governance arrangements with the Dunedin City Council and the Queenstown Lakes District Council could be brought before the incoming regional council, Dr Borren said.
