Metro Tasmania cancellations: Up to 20 services a day still being axed despite reductions

The crisis at Tasmania’s ailing public transport operator is continuing amid further service cuts and rising frustration, made worse by the hiring of a swath of new managers on six-figure incomes.

Tasmanian Labor's transport spokesman Josh Willie MLC (second from left) and RTBU Tasmania organiser Byron Cubit (third from left) speaking with Metro bus drivers outside the Springfield depot, Moonah. Picture: Alex Treacy

Up to 20 Metro Tasmania bus services are still being cut each day, despite the public transport operator cutting 180 services for the foreseeable future to aid reliability.

Tasmanian Labor and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union are continuing to apply the blowtorch to Metro management and Transport Minister Michael Ferguson after a torrid six months for the operator.

Most recently, Metro chief executive Katie Cooper announced the government business enterprise was introducing “temporary service adjustments” in Hobart – a euphemism for service cuts – to assist in ongoing driver shortages and provide certainty to customers.

On Friday, RTBU Tasmania organiser Byron Cubit said service interruptions were continuing despite the cuts.

“In the past two weeks, some days there have been none [cancelled services], other days 20 or more,” Mr Cubit said.

On Thursday, 20 services across the network were cut; on Friday, just one.

Mr Cubit said that in the six months since cancellations “really skyrocketed,” little had changed for drivers “on the ground”.

“I’m having conversations very regularly with drivers who feel scared because they’re out there every day feeling exposed,” he said.

Mr Cubit said that drivers’ demands remained the same: permanent funding of transit officers with the “necessary powers” to stamp out anti-social behaviour, security screens to protect drivers, and better pay and conditions in order to attract and retain new drivers.

Tasmanian Labor's transport spokesman Josh Willie MLC and RTBU Tasmania organiser Byron Cubit speaking with Metro bus drivers outside the Springfield depot, Moonah. Picture: Alex Treacy

In April, a number of transit officers were deployed as ‘phase one’ of a two-part trial to inform a “future operational model” involving permanent appointments – since then, there have been no further updates.

“We need more details regarding transit officers. We’ve been waiting quite a long time or those,” Mr Cubit said.

Pay rates remained a sticking point between the warring parties.

“Once upon a time, if you worked for a government business enterprise, you didn’t have to struggle to pay your bills, keep a roof over your head. It’s a major issue,” Mr Cubit said.

One driver present at Friday’s media call expressed anger that Metro had “hired six senior managers in the last two months on more than $100,000 each”.

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“What have they done to aid productivity? Nothing,” he said.

When contacted by the Mercury, Ms Cooper, the CEO, said Metro had been “very open” about its need to recruit for both corporate and frontline roles, and noted one of the new managerial roles had been funded by the state government as part of the new integrated ticketing system rollout.

Ms Cooper said Metro had formed an “internal working group” to explore security screen options, with a trial concluding “broad support for a fully enclosed option”.

“However, the feedback also suggests that further work is required regarding subsequent visibility impairment,” she said.

Metro had a number of strategies to increase driver recruitment and retention. They included targeted campaigns online and in buses, shorter training with an increased on-road component, and significant refurbishments to its main three depots.