Union will fight to keep buses in public hands
Following news reports in the Sun Herald on Sunday 3 June that the state government could hand government buses to the private sector , the RTBU Bus and Tram Division released the below statement to the media, vowing to fight to keep State Transit in public hands:
Privatising buses leaves passengers stranded
A sell off of the State’s public bus system would result in less services, less often and a huge reduction in overall service levels said the Rail, Tram and Bus Union today.
RTBU Bus Division President Gary Way said there is no evidence that privatisation has led to any benefits to commuters in other states, but there were plenty of examples of privatisations gone horribly wrong.
“A quality public transport system, which is expected in a world class city such as Sydney should not be handed to the private sector.
“This would be bad policy with terrible results for the travelling public.”
Mr Way said the O’Farrell Government was elected with a mandate to fix NSW’s public transport, not sell it to the highest bidder.
“Bus commuters would be shocked to learn of Government plans to sell off our bus system today.
“Already this week we’ve seen the sell off of the State’s power generators in one of Mr O’Farrell’s dirty deals – buses must not be next on the hit list.
“The people of NSW need reassurance from the Transport Minister that State Transit will remain in public hands.”
Mr Way said quality public transport can not be driven by profits.
“If State Transit is privatised the people of NSW can look forward to reductions in the frequency of services, particularly at night, and less profitable services cut altogether, stranding commuters who live in outer lying areas.
“NSW commuters are waiting for the State Government to deliver on its promises to invest in better services. They will not abide wholesale sell offs.
“NSW needs investment in better transport services – not another crazy privatisation experiment.
“The RTBU will fight to keep our buses in public hands.”