Wellington Tramways Union media release - 21 May
2019
Wellington bus drivers are welcoming
reform of the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) says
their union.
The reform process was announced by
the Transport Minister today at the Wellington Tramways
Union AGM in front of hundreds of drivers.
Tramways
union Secretary Kevin O’Sullivan says change has been
desperately needed. “We’ve watched Wellington’s public
transport being ruined by PTOM, with hundreds of experienced
drivers suffering under race to the bottom competitive
tendering.
“This is a mature industry where
everyone has the same costs for buses, fuel, and depots.
PTOM forced the industry to compete on what was left -
drivers’ wages and conditions and the quality of service
and safety for the public.
“The last government
tried to shoehorn free market ideology into a sector that is
about the public good. Even though that starts to get fixed
from today, the damage that has been caused to public
transport may take years to recover
from.”
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