Uber prices surge as Hobart Metro bus drivers walk off the job in pay-rise fight

Uber prices have skyrocketed this morning as bus drivers walk off the job to fight for better pay and work conditions.

Bus drivers walk off the job for better work conditions and increased pay. Alex Smith wears a diaper and hold a sign saying 'we want wee breaks'. Picture: PATRICK GEE

MORE than 500 Metro services and thousands of passenger journeys were disrupted yesterday as bus drivers walked off the job to fight for better pay and work conditions.

Public services were shut down between 9am and 2pm while bus drivers attended a stopwork meeting at the Springfield bus depot. No school bus services were affected.

Rail Tram and Bus Union Tasmania secretary Jody Nichols yesterday acknowledged traffic congestion issues and commuter inconvenience, but said bus drivers were “left with no other choice” following Metro Tasmania’s hard-line stance on its two per cent pay rise offer.

“We want this meeting to send a message to the public that if they’ve got complaints, direct them to the Government because they’re causing this by not taking our position seriously,” Ms Nichols said.

STATE GROWTH LISTS SERVICES STILL RUNNING AMID STRIKE

METRO WARNS OF WAVE OF DISRPUTIONS ACROSS HOBART

Metro chief executive officer Megan Morse said Metro was disappointed with the drivers’ decision to walk off the job and thanked customers for their patience. “As a state-owned company, our wage offer is consistent with Government policy, a clear message we have delivered in good faith over an extended bargaining period,” she said.

The industrial action had far-reaching impacts, with Hobartians reaching for their Uber app or jumping in a cab.

An Uber fare from Salamanca to Sandy Bay — normally $7 to $8 — was priced between $20 to $21, given the number of riders on the platform outstripped the number of available drivers. All “surge” fares are shown upfront in the app before a rider hits accept.

Opposition roads and infrastructure spokesman David O’Byrne said bus drivers had been “forced into a corner by this heartless Liberal Government”.

“The Premier is blaming everyone else and is trying to turn the Tasmanian public against desperate public sector workers who are fighting for a pay rise that keeps up with the cost of living,” he said.

Minister for Infrastructure Jeremy Rockliff said the State Government did not support industrial action which directly impacted on Tasmanians.

“We strongly urge both parties to come back to the table and negotiate in good faith,” he said.

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