Bus drivers left stranded during Wynyard breakdowns

Doing the Wynyard shuffle is right. Every day drivers are forced to deal with congestion, and the frustration that comes with it, at the Wynyard bus exchange. But when two buses broke down near Clarence St during peak hour on Tuesday that frustration went through the roof.

Traffic all but stoped along the Harbour Bridge and through the city, stranding commuters until traffic eased at 7:30pm, and who was left to deal with it? Drivers.

On top of dealing with even tougher driving conditions and more passengers, they were also somehow expected to act as a community liaison and information service.

Commuters were rightly angry at the delays but no additional staff were deployed to help manage crowds and explain what was happening. Drivers were just left to bare the brunt of the anger.

There was once a time when STA senior management would step up during an incident, put on their orange jackets and come out to help ensure issues were resolved as soon as possible and commuters were kept informed. No longer it seems.

Leaving aside the problems with infrastructure that mean two breakdowns can cause these delays, drivers need and deserve proper support when problems occur. Not to be left stranded to bare the brunt of the failings of a congested transport network.