As driver numbers continue to dwindle, an imminent end to Otago’s reduced bus timetable seems less likely than ever.
The Otago Regional Council is now 41 drivers short of being able to provide a full timetable, a widening gap on last month, when 39 drivers were needed.
Dunedin was 23 drivers short, and Queenstown was 18 drivers short, the council confirmed.
The reduced timetable was slated to be in effect for at least a month when introduced by the council on July 19, with the aim of increasing reliability amid ongoing cancellations caused by driver illness and a national driver shortage.
Frequency of buses on some Dunedin routes was roughly halved, and the overall service was reduced by about a third.
In a self-described Facebook "bus rant" as the two-month mark passed by, Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins pointed to poor driver pay as a factor.
Otago Regional Council transport manager Doug Rodgers said the timeframe of the reduced service was "still opaque" amid a challenging employment market.
“The key is that the number of drivers available is insufficient to run a full service and until we get to a sufficient number, the service will reflect the available.
“Our Operators, Go Bus and Ritchies, are both putting significant resource into recruiting programmes and we continue to support them in their efforts."
The accuracy of the mayor’s comments was for him to elaborate on, Mr Rodgers said.
He emphasised the council did not directly pay bus drivers, but rather paid a contracted commercial price to operators.
The council last month approved more funding for bus operators to enable drivers to get a boost in pay that would result in them receiving the 2022 living wage.
Mr Rodgers said operators were being paid in line with services provided under a commercial contract.
The bus funding ratio of 51% by the council and 49% by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency also continued to apply in line with services provided.
Mr Hawkins said it was not a lack of qualified drivers nationally but rather poor pay and conditions causing the shortage.
"[The reduced timetable] was originally triggered by Covid [and] winter illnesses compounding nationwide worker shortages, but with those numbers on the decline it’s starting to look like the ‘new normal’," he said.
Bus services were still being cancelled under the reduced timetable, a situation he had recently experienced, he said.
Such scenarios were made worse by the lower frequency of buses.
