Don’t Sell Our Buses: what you need to know about bus privatisation

The NSW Government has made no secret of its plans to privatise more of Sydney’s bus networks.

Recent bus privatisation in the inner-west and Newcastle hasn’t worked. On-time running is down, routes have been cut, stops have closed, and workers’ conditions have plummeted.

In Region 6, on-time running has plummeted since the service was privatised. Since taking over, the private company has failed to meet its on-time running KPIs every month.

The NSW Government’s privatisation plans have failed dismally in Newcastle and in Region 6. It would be irresponsible for the Minister to even consider privatising even more of Sydney’s buses. But – we know what this Transport Minister is capable of…..

Commuters deserve to know their current routes and services are going to be protected, and bus drivers deserve to know their wages and conditions are also going to protected.

Cuts to local bus services aren’t just an inconvenience – they’re a serious risk. In Newcastle we’ve seen kids left by the side of the road; the less-able in the community forced to change buses multiple times to get to appointments, or stop using public transport altogether.

It’s a basic responsibility of our government to provide a safe, affordable and reliable public transport network, but at the moment the NSW Government seems intent on shirking that responsibility.

The RTBU is going to fight hard to protect bus drivers’ wages and working conditions. But if we’re to be successful, we all need to work together. This won’t be easy, but if we stay united, we can protect our jobs and our public transport system.

What can you do right now?

• Talk to your family, friends and co-workers about the risks of privatisation. Got questions about privatisation? Speak to your local delegate or call the RTBU office.
• Sign up to Our Transport: www.ourtransport.org.au and ask your family and friends to do the same. We’ll be campaigning publicly through that site.
• If you haven’t already, join your union. We’re stronger together.
• Watch the video below on how bus privatisation affects you.

‘Abuse is part of the job’: New data reveals bus drivers are living in fear of angry customers

An article from the ABC has revealed that nowadays, aggression towards bus drivers is a norm and many bus drivers are afraid that the next late bus or peak traffic time will mean copping abuse from both passengers and other motorists.

New data from Transport Safety Victoria has shown that in the last 10 years, there have been 241 physical assaults on Victorian bus drivers with 20 incidents occurring in 2018 alone. This reflects a similar experience of our bus drivers here in NSW.

Over the last few years there have been reports of punching, stabbing and even rock throwing and getting spat on. This is completely unacceptable and bus drivers are not responsible for their passengers’ bad days, drinking habits or fare evasion. In fact, the job has become far more stressful thanks to tighter timetables and an accepted culture of aggression towards drivers.

RTBU NSW Tram and Bus Division Secretary, David Babineau said “The way some of our members are treated is an absolute disgrace. Abuse at work is never okay. The reason unions exist is to protect their members from ever having to deal with things like this. We encourage all of our members to bring cases like this straight to us. This treatment of bus drivers is horrific and we will not let it continue.”

To read the full article from ABC News, please click here.

City of Newcastle continues to fund Park and Ride buses in hopes for an extended light rail service

The City of Newcastle has decided to continue to fund the Park and Ride buses for another year in the hope that a growing patronage will be enough to make a case for extended light rail in the city. After the state government halted funds for the service earlier this year, the council has been funding the service from month-month.

The council has listened to the community and decided that it is a worthwhile service which helps make public transport convenient and keeps car parks in the city emptier. 120,000 passenger trips have been recorded on the Park and Ride service with over 1,000 regular weekly users since it’s arrival in late 2017. The service is reliable, convenient and cost-saving. Commuters are happier spending $900 less on average just by taking the bus.

Tram and Bus Divisional Secretary, David Babineau welcomes the news, saying, “we’re really encouraged by the City of Newcastle’s commitment to the service. While the NSW Government has dropped the ball on transport in Newcastle, the local council is stepping up and investing in new services to alleviate the pressure on our roads and show that they really care for the services commuters need.”

“We hope to see the patronage numbers increase enough to see an extended light rail service be put in place. We’re sure that this will be welcomed by commuters and staff alike. The council is definitely on the right track.”

You can read more on our website here.

Overcrowding on inner west line to continue for years after extra trams postponed

It's been revealed that Transport for NSW was supposed to buy new trams mid last year to stop the overcrowding on Sydney’s inner west line. A year later and there has been no action on a move which could mean up to 1200 more passengers on the light rail at peak commute times.

More documentation shows that even if the purchase is made tomorrow, it would still take 18 months before all trams are in action.

“It wasn’t bad enough that commuters in the inner west have had their buses privatised, now they also have to wait years before any new trams can be added to ease overcrowding on the light rail. This is just unacceptable and typical of a government focused on short term gain,” says RTBU NSW Tram and Bus Division Secretary, David Babineau.

“It’s a shame that the components have not been manufactured locally, maybe something could have been done to alleviate these issues if there were. Unlike some other states and territories, it seems the NSW Government is not interested in supporting Australian based industries.”

You can read more on our website here.

New survey reveals longer commute times Australia-wide

A new survey from Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) has revealed that commuters are suffering across Australia with commuting times soaring.

NSW has a 51 minute average commute time but this has increased by 23% since the earliest survey in 2002. Sydneysiders are the worst off out of all Australian states and cities with the average return commute taking 71 minutes, a 17% increase from 2002.

In fact, commuters are even asking for buses to be reinstated in the Hills area.

Tram and Bus Division President, Daniel Jaggers said, “the new Sydney Metro has only meant more buses taken off competing routes for people trying to get to work. The daily commute is getting longer because people have to change trains and go through additional stations when they used to have a bus straight to their destination. What commuters have now is an unnecessary extra step in their journey.”

“What’s been done has added pressure to an already overloaded public transport network and it’s stressing out staff and drivers. They need to expand the network, not force commuters from one crowded mode of transport to another. The government needs to take responsibility for its decisions and genuinely plan for the future with the public in mind and not political considerations.”

You can read more on our website here.

Media Release: Public transport bodies call for increased penalties for assault on staff

Key bodies representing Australian public transport operators and employees are seeking increases in penalties for assaulting public transport staff so that the penalties are equal to the assault of emergency personnel.

“Like emergency personnel, public transport staff provide a vital service for our communities, assisting millions of Australians to travel around our cities and regions daily. These workers deserve to go to work and do their job without threat or harm so that they can return home safely,” said Bob Nanva, National Secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union.

“Anti-social and violent behaviour towards public transport staff is simply unacceptable”, said Mr Nanva.

As patronage on public transport continues to grow, so too do incidents of anti-social behaviour and violence towards transport staff.

Please click here to read more.

Day in the life of a bus driver – David Babineau on FBI radio

The RTBU Tram and Bus Division’s Secretary David Babineau spoke out last month on the radio about being a bus driver and the current difficulties with bus privatisation.

Having driven buses for over six years, he’s familiar with the working conditions and the issues most drivers face.

Bus drivers do a lot more than just drive the bus. They’re an authority and can help if there’s any trouble on the bus. It’s a thankless job.

Typical working days can be up to 12 hours long with many drivers stuck at depots between peak hour shifts. During peak hours, some bus drivers even have to pass on bathroom breaks to ensure their buses run on schedule. It’s just expected and companies take advantage of drivers who are invested in the smooth running of the public transport system.

The introduction of privatisation in Newcastle and Sydney’s inner west has been a blow and the government’s reasoning for this has been unsatisfactory. It has meant that a lot of bus drivers are worse off. The company who employs new people gives them longer working hours and less penalties. Meanwhile, the company employing the drivers working before privatisation has started giving their rostered hours to newer drivers who cost less for the system and essentially puts people out of a job.

The government has been smart in using these private companies. They take over the operating of the buses but use the existing infrastructure so the government can create political distance when things go wrong. However, the government can also say taxpayers aren’t paying for any of the operating costs without mentioning that taxpayers are paying so much for infrastructure they already own.

He encourages everyone to speak out against privatisation by joining the union and taking action on the Our Transport site.

You can listen to the full interview here.

Infrastructure Australia warns more buses will be at ‘crush capacity’

Infrastructure Australia’s latest report card has revealed that public transport in Sydney has been far more crowded in the last two years – an unsurprising find.

The report warns that demand for public transport will only grow in the next decade as driving on congested roads and paying exorbitant parking fees drives people to buses and trains. This is particularly so in the congested north shore where commuters are predicted to start flocking to B-line services.

Having priority bus lines on certain roads means that buses are usually faster than driving that route as commuters are not stuck in traffic jams for hours on end.

“The report’s findings are just proof of what we and our members have known for quite some time. Instead of adding short-term politically driven infrastructure projects that we pay to build and then pay to use, maybe they should focus on fixing the infrastructure that already exists. There has to be some forward thinking and long term planning to this process, or we’re going to be stuck with a costly series of band-aid solutions and no room to move,” says RTBU Tram and Bus Division Secretary David Babineau.

Please click here to read more in an article from the Sydney Morning Herald.

Media Release: Drivers back Treasurer’s call to bring back local buses

Bus drivers have backed the NSW Treasurer, Dominic Perrottet’s call to bring back buses in north-west Sydney, saying the axing of local buses in an attempt to boost figures on the government’s flailing Metro system is an insult to local commuters.

It’s been revealed that the Treasurer and local Epping MP recently wrote to the Transport Minister calling on him to reconsider the changes that have been made to services such as the 620X, 621, 625, 626, 632, 633 and 642X.

Bus and Tram Division Secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU), David Babineau said it was premature for Minister Constance to pull the bus services until the fleet of multimillion-dollar Metro trains, which have been plagued with operational errors since day one, was running properly.

“Tens of thousands of local commuters have signed petitions calling for the buses to be reinstated – this isn’t affecting a small handful of people, this is widescale insult to all commuters in the area,” Mr Babineau said.

“It seems that local commuters have been robbed of their vital bus services so that the Minister can crow about the number of people using the sub-par Metro system. That’s not how sensible public planning should work.

You can read more on our website here.