People who catch a Busways Bus in Western Sydney or on the Central Coast this Wednesday, 17 August will be able to travel for free. Ticket machines and Opal Card Readers will not be operating on the day.
Transport Workers’ Union Member Drivers employed by Busways are shifting their campaign into gear to protect their pay and conditions. Busways have refused to re-negotiate the industry agreement with their Drivers. The Company is hoping that they can push drivers onto an agreement that does not match the one used by the rest of the industry.
Richard Olsen, Secretary of the Transport Workers’ Union said, “The last thing that drivers want to do is to inconvenience the public, so the action this Wednesday is a wake-up call for Busways, an action that will impact the revenue of both Busways and the NSW Government”.
“If Busways don’t take heed of our action and come to the negotiation table we will have to consider our next course of action. In the days following this Wednesday’s action we will consider what the next stages of the campaign will look like.”
“Bus Drivers are doing a vital job seven days a week. They take the kids to school, take our loved ones to work and they start early and finish late to ensure the community is kept moving. Too often they also have to deal with violence and abuse. We are calling on Busways to properly support their drivers”, Mr Olsen said.
All passengers who are using Busways Services in Western Sydney or on the Central Coast on Wednesday 17 August are able to leave their Opal Card at home or in their wallets, purses or bags as they won’t need to tap on or tap off all day.