Media release – Michael Ferguson, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, 25 September 2023

$8.1 million support package for Tasmanian bus drivers

The Rockliff Liberal Government is taking further action and a range of additional support to Metro Tasmania to help overcome its driver shortage and restore full service delivery.

“It’s been good to provide reliability, however we want full services restored as soon as possible and Metro has told us these initiatives will best assist with its bus driver shortage, and we are strongly responding,” said Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Michael Ferguson.

“Low unemployment is a good thing, but it’s made it harder for employers like Metro to recruit. So we need to do more.

“The estimated $8.1 million package covers a range of initiatives including personal safety, a pay rise and more attractive rosters to recruit and retain bus drivers.

“The Government is prepared to fund a pay rise of $2 million this financial year, outside of the current enterprise agreement for Metro’s bus drivers. This is subject to Metro reaching agreement with its bus operators that is reasonable and affordable.”

The plan also includes:

  • $2.1 million to introduce security screens for drivers;
  • $2 million to extend the deployment of transit officers statewide, making them a permanent safety measure and giving them more powers to deal with troublemakers; and
  • $2 million to funding a new IT system for Metro Tasmania to introduce more flexible and attractive rosters.

“Phase two of our transit officer deployment will now be accelerated, which will see individual officers authorised by the Transport Commissioner to have new, tougher powers including issuing infringement notices and removing disorderly passengers,” Mr Ferguson said.

“The pilot of transit officers in the south of the state has been met with positive feedback since their introduction in early April, bringing comfort to drivers and passengers. The deployment of body-worn cameras acts as a deterrent and provides crucial evidence when passengers do the wrong thing.”

Metro will use this mix of support and take a tougher position by banning troublemakers who flout the rules.

Metro is currently investigating security screens to provide a protective barrier for drivers, and the Government is committing $2.1 million to implement them.

The Government will provide a further $2 million to enable Metro to implement an improved IT system to replace its ageing rostering system that currently limits flexible working arrangements. This will enable Metro to offer flexible and more attractive rosters, to attract more drivers.

Metro temporarily suspended 177 weekday services on August 28 to provide certainty and reliability for passengers, with a review expected after six months.

“I have also directed the Department of State Growth to bring forward its planned greater Hobart network review to examine service provision in the currently constrained environment, which will inform future fleet requirements,” he said.

“The Rockliff Liberal Government has made huge investments in public transport, including 116 new buses, but reliability and access are crucial to ensuring more people use our buses.

“I look forward to seeing this support package implemented and a step-change in the delivery of vital bus services to Tasmanian commuters.

“This Government invests $110 million each year on general access and school bus services. In addition, we’re investing a further $81.5 million over four years on a range of initiatives including more park and ride facilities, more all-access all-weather bus stop upgrades, and a contemporary ticketing system to modernise our bus transport offering, to boost patronage and ease congestion.”

Media release – Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) Tasmanian Branch, 25 September 2023

Tasmanian bus package a first step towards arresting driver shortage

Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) Tasmanian Branch Secretary Ric Bean today welcomed the Tasmanian Government’s support package for bus drivers, saying it was a positive step towards arresting the crisis in Tasmania’s public transport system.

“The RTBU has had a number of discussions with the State Government about a package to address the bus driver shortage over recent weeks,“ Ric Bean said.

“Today’s announcement addresses two of the three key issues that we have raised.

“Firstly, the commitment to a pay rise outside of the Enterprise Agreement is a recognition that in a competitive labour market for bus drivers, employers have to offer competitive wages if they are to attract and retain staff.

“Secondly, the package delivers funding for safety screens for drivers, and for long-awaited roll-out of Transit Officers on the bus network.

“These are important initiatives that the RTBU has been campaigning for, and come on top of the ‘It’s not OK’ joint public awareness campaign between Metro Tasmania and the RTBU.”

Ric Bean said the RTBU would continue working with the State Government to address the third issue of concern to drivers: the workplace culture at Metro Tasmania.

“Drivers need to feel that Metro management supports them. This is an intangible thing that can’t be solved by money alone – it requires people to work together in a cooperative and constructive manner, and to build trust.

“The high level of turnover in Metro’s management hasn’t helped, but we’re hopeful that today’s announcement will be a turning point.”

Ric Bean thanked the Tasmanian community for their continued support of bus drivers, and for rallying behind their public buses.

“It is clear that Tasmanians value their public bus services and want to have access to frequent, reliable and safe public transport.

“There’s still a lot of work to do, but we are hopeful that Metro can once again be the publicly-owned bus company that Tasmanians want and deserve.”

Media release – Josh Willie MLC, Shadow Minister for Transport, 25 September 2023

Metro support welcomed, but why the delay?

Today’s Metro support package is a win for workers and a win for the community, but just like the bus service’s reliability over the past year begs the obvious question – why the delay?

Metro’s driver retention, attraction and safety issues aren’t a new thing.

Labor has been vocal in backing Metro’s drivers and mechanics and the communities they serve for nearly a year now while the Liberals have sat idle before they finally cut services in a cynical PR move.

While the support funding package is welcome, it shouldn’t have taken this long for the Transport Minister to realise he was responsible for ensuring bus drivers were safe, and for making sure Tasmanians could rely on public transport.

Unfortunately, while Michael Ferguson was sitting on his hands, the problems facing Metro were getting worse, and it will still take a lot of time and effort for the service to return to where it was, let alone where it needs to be.

There’s still no end in sight for Metro’s “temporary service adjustment”, meaning Tasmanians are missing out on close to 200 services a day.

Massive issues still exist with Metro’s workplace culture, and the bus mechanics who service the Metro fleet are still being underpaid.

Labor will continue to support the workers and the community until the problems at Metro are resolved and the service is back running as a service Tasmanians can truly rely on.

Media release – David O’Byrne MP, Member for Franklin, 25 September 2023

One-off Metro cheque does not reverse years of underinvestment and neglect

The announcement today of a one-off Metro funding boost does not make up for years of this government’s deliberate lack of investment into Tasmania’s public transport network.

It’s beyond disappointing that it’s taken nearly a thousand weekly services to be axed indefinitely for this government to finally admit that Metro is underfunded. Just two weeks ago in Parliament, I revealed a leaked internal presentation produced by Metro executives revealed the company knew it was ‘limited by investment’ and vulnerable to ‘competition’ from private bus operators since at least 2021.

The government have been shamed into action after continual pressure in the Parliament and in the community from frustrated commuters, including the workers at Oakdale who I stood with recently.

Metro bus operators are some of the lowest paid bus operators in the nation, which has contributed to the mass exodus of drivers over the last few years.

If the government had recognised this and heeded calls to pay bus operators fairly and treat them with respect, Metro wouldn’t be in a position where it was forced into mass service cancellations.

Metro Tasmania’s annual expenditure on wages for bus drivers is currently over $32m*. Adding an extra $2m on top of this barely even keeps up with inflation.

Transport Minister Michael Ferguson has been far too slow in rolling out the transit/security officers it promised. Current security officers are contracted by a private company on a fortnightly basis so there hasn’t been any sort of permanency about this arrangement at all.

The announcement today is too little, too late. The Government have known that Metro have been struggling, so why did they sit on their hands and wait for mass cancellations before doing something about it?

* Metro Annual Report 2021-22, page 34.