NEWCASTLE BUSES – Drivers Vote for More Industrial Action

 BY PETER HYSLOP

Newcastle and Lake Macquarie bus drivers with the Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) have voted to take further industrial action, but the operator is yet to be formally notified.

Action may include service cancellations. Earlier action this year left school children and commuters stranded with little notice. It’s expected at least for the next few days, services will continue as normal.

The union says they will advise the company and the Fair Work Commission with ample notice if a stoppage takes place.

Tram and Bus Division President Peter Grech says opal readers have already been switched off.

“This was an extension of the first Protected Action Ballot, and this gives us further movement on that.

“We probably foresee a stoppage, or withdrawal of work in the coming weeks,” he said.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Hunter to see more bus services

 BY EMILY WILLIAMS

The Hunter region will see an additional 506 bus services rolled out this week.

The additional services, operated by Hunter Valley Buses, are intended to better connect the region.

This coming in response to widespread criticism from locals about cancelled services.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchson said the improvements will help make daily life easier for Hunter residents.

"We know good quality transport is important for the wellbeing of people and communities and these services are a win not only for Hunter locals but visitors and tourists as well," she said.

In addition to more frequent services, two new routes will be added which will connect Minmi with Cardiff Station via Newcastle's Western suburbs.

Minister for the Hunter Tim Crakanthorp, said he welcomes the announcement.

"As our region grows, public transport connections are vital to ensure access to services and recreation," he said.

State inquiry recommends Newcastle buses put back in public hands

BY DAKOTA TAIT

An Upper House inquiry into the privatisation of Newcastle's bus services has recommended the move be reversed, over concern the quality of services has declined, passengers now pay more, and drivers face worse pay and conditions.

Keolis Downer originally took over the city's buses and ferries in 2017 for a ten-year contract, but the company's changes have earned backlash from customers and local MPs in the years since. 

The inquiry's found there was little consultation on changes to stops, routes, and the frequency of services.

The report is calling for bus services in Newcastle and Sydney to be put back in public hands, and for quality targets to be established for future private contracts.

Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp says the findings are hardly surprising.

"We've known this for a very long time," he said. "I get an enormous amount of feedback on the bus service.

"When it was privatised, it was devastating for vulnerable people in our community, particularly the disabled and the elderly."

The Greens and Labor members on the six-person committee have come under fire by the three Coalition members, however, who have described the report as an attack on the State Government ahead of next year's election.

Labor says it will honour the current contracts if it wins in March, but it would look into the findings by establishing a new taskforce.

Mr Crakanthorp says it should be a wake-up call, both for the State Government and for the private operator.

"Ultimately, taxpayers are paying for this service, and the service needs to meet the need of the people paying for it," he said. 

"They're the people in our community who need to get from A to B. They need to do it on efficient, reliable, and clean transport."

"They're the priority, and the Government and Keolis Downer need to look at the report and take something out of it, and improve the services to that end."

Newcastle bus drivers reach agreement with Keolis Downer

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Newcastle bus drivers have ended their industrial action, after operator Keolis Downer reached an in-principle agreement with the union.  

It's understood, the company has agreed to a seven percent pay increase over two years, from November in 2022 and 2023, and will also be backpaid a three percent rise from last November.  

Ten other conditions have also been included to ease the work-life balance for members.

Keolis Downer originally offered a 10.5 percent pay rise over four years.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union members are set to vote, to accept or reject the offer. 

Newcastle bus drivers to escalate action with 24-hour strike, ban on consoles

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Newcastle bus drivers are set to escalate their industrial action from next Monday, as talks with operator Keolis Downer over pay and conditions continue.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union says the operator is failing to meet their demands for a seven percent wage increase over two years.

Drivers were set to go ahead with action this week, turning off the Opal card readers, but retracted the decision.

They'll instead move forward with a 24-hour strike from 2:01am next Monday morning, meaning no buses will run across the Newcastle Transport network.

At the end of the strike, they'll begin an indefinite ban on logging into and using the Bus Driver Console, which means Opal card readers aren't likely to operate.

The union is apologising to commuters, but claims the blame is on Keolis Downer for failing to meet them at the table.

Image credit: transportnsw.info

Opal data suggests declining patronage, says Labor

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

Claims made by the NSW Transport Minister about the number of people jumping aboard Newcastle buses is being disputed by Labor.

Newcastle MP, Tim Crakanthorp claims on March 6, Andrew Constance told state parliament, "I took the January 2017 patronage numbers compared them to January 2018. In January 2017, the patronage numbers were 304, 330. In January of this year, there were 319, 360."

That would have represented a significant increase of 15, 330 patrons, however, Opal card data, published on the NSW government's website, shows only 300, 448 using Newcastle bus services in January 2018.

Tim Crakanthorp has labelled Andrew Constance's claims "disingenuous," and said the 4000 person decrease for January and decline of 8000 patrons in February makes sense, given public outcry over the revised system.

"This makes a lot of sense...we've got huge support from the community on this particular campaign to call for a full review and proper consultation on this service.

"We had 1000 people turn up at a community meeting in Belmont and about the same come to a rally [in Gregson Park] just last week."

However, Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Scot MacDonald has defended the Minister's comments, saying Mr Constance was referring to overall patronage sourced from both Opal and non-Opal data.

"The figures we rely on is overall patronage...the numbers, when combined, give us about a 9% increase.

"So we're getting that up-swing we've been expecting," he said.

"We can't just rely on the Opal data," Mr MacDonald continued, "because there are various concession users and people paying with cash.

"When we look at both the Opal and non-Opal figures, it is still quite encouraging."

Scot MacDonald emphasized the declining nature of the previous system as reason for the changed timetable.

Bus Protest Tonight As Keolis Downer Report Pleasing Results

BY OLIVIA PORTELL

Community members disgruntled by the new Newcastle bus system will meet at the Belmont 16 Footers tonight for a public protest. 

They will join Hunter MPs and Shadow Minister for Transport Jodi Mackay to try to get the state government to conduct a review into the network's privatisation, however, it's understood no representatives from operator Keolis Downer or the NSW government were invited to the meeting.  

They will also discuss issues of accessibility for disabled and elderly people, as well as reliability for school children. 

Newcastle MP Tim Crackanthorp says representations made to Transport Minister Andrew Constance have so far fallen on deaf ears. 

"He came back the next day and said I was just being a smart alec, and completely dismissed the concerns of these disabled people- people in my community."

"We certainly are here, we've got the community behind us, we're going to make it very loud and very clear to him there's a huge issue here and he needs to revise that timetable."

Caves Beach resident, John Gifford, is also among those opposing the new bus network and says he has started an online petition calling for a review on Change.org. 

"We've got over nineteen-hundred signatures, they have gone to the minister- it does include people's reasons for why they signed the petition."

"Somebody has to do something about this, it's just totally unfair, my daughter can't come into Charlestown from Caves Beach to watch the movies or go to shops- she used to be able to do that."

Meanwhile, Hunter bus operator Keolis Downer is reporting increased passenger numbers on key routes across the network, as passengers utilise twelve-hundred extra services.

Early figures are showing especially positive results from commuters in populated areas such Charlestown, Merewether and Newcastle University. 

Keolis Downer General Manager, Mark Dunlop says there's been a monumental change to how buses operate in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.

"We are, and we have constantly said, that we are taking all feedback and looking at the network, it is very early days."

"No doubt there will be refinement that needs to be done on the network and we are open to that and understand that's an integral part of the network going forward."

The meeting's announcement last week at Charlestown.

Train Services to Wyong to Resume Soon

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

Following a day of buses replacing trains between the Newcastle Interchange and Wyong, services are set to resume this afternoon.

NSW TrainLink announced the first Newcastle to Central line running through Wyong will depart the Newcastle Interchange at 2:21pm.

Until then, buses will continue to replace trains between Fassifern and Wyong as urgent repairs to overhead wiring are carried out.

Salamander Bay Residents Benefit from $5 million Revitalisation

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

A $5-million dollar new bus interchange at Salamander Bay has today been opened to the public.

The works were completed just in time for Christmas by contractor Daracon on behalf of Port Stephens Council.

The project sees the completion of a new road called Terminus Parade and traffic lights at Bagnall Beach Road.

A taxi rank and shared pathways have also been created, in a move Council hopes will attract shoppers to the Bay's retail precinct.

Keolis Downer to take over Newcastle Transport

BY JOSH SIM

Newcastle and Lake Macquarie's buses and ferries will be operated by Keolis Downer for the next ten years from the beginning of July.

The company secured the decade-long contract to operate the service and will run under the name Newcastle Transport.

Beginning on Saturday, staff will be given brand new uniforms and buses and ferries will be re-branded around the area.

CEO of Keolis Downer Hunter, Campbell Mason says the company will have a strong focus on customer service and delivering a world class service to the community.

'There's no magic solution to improve services on day one, the first of July will be the start of the journey where we build confidence in Newcastle's public transport system,' Mr Mason said.

The Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local community will have an opportunity to have their say about the future of public transport in the area, with a new network to be rolled out in 2018.

The views of the community and local leaders will be taken into account as well as that of current drivers, who are seen as understanding the customer needs.

'It's important that we take the time to listen to the community views and get the network right,'

'Immediately there wont be changes to the timetable or the network and we will be using the next six months or so to consult with the community,' Mr Mason said.

Anyone wishing to put forward their feedback to Newcastle Transport are urged to do so via Facebook.