Off peak bus passengers are advised that some Metlink bus trips will be suspended from 9am to 2pm on Wednesday 30August while drivers attend a meeting organised by the CTU and unions.

Metlink Group Manager Samantha Gain says that unlike previous meetings such as AGM’s which usually only involved one operator’s drivers, this meeting is for all bus drivers including those employed by Metlink’s four operators.

“All drivers covered by the Fair Pay Agreement Act have been invited to attend, meaning a significant number of off-peak trips could be suspended across the bus network”.

Bus services in the Wairarapa, Kāpiti and Newlands are not expected to be impacted by the meeting.

“Unfortunately, for the remainder of the bus network, the extent of the disruption is difficult to fully estimate at this stage as drivers can attend whether they belong to the union or not and some may decide to attend last minute. That’s on top of those who may be sick or are on pre-planned leave,” says Ms Gain.

“Metlink supports drivers attending this meeting, however, we recognise that temporarily suspending service at scale will impact our communities and we’ve worked with the operators and the unions to ensure the disruption is kept to a minimum.

“Both parties have been understanding, recognising our concerns about the disruptive nature of the meeting in its current format – involving all bus operators, and being held in Wellington city, which adds travel time for some drivers,” adds Ms Gain.

With the level of disruption undetermined, off peak bus passengers travelling on Wednesday 30 August are urged to check the Metlink website and app for information on which services are running and consider organising alternative transport or delaying travel.

“We will be keeping in touch with our operators on Wednesday and passengers will be kept updated on any changes, including if services begin to resume early, through our website and app,” says Ms Gain.

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