Adelaide bus drivers ramp up industrial action
Adelaide bus drivers ramp up industrial action
Adelaide bus commuters will be able to ride for free early next week as drivers ramp up their industrial dispute with two major companies.
Drivers are promising not to charge passengers or validate their tickets from next Tuesday.
It will affect two thirds of Adelaide’s bus network and apply to routes serviced by companies Transfield and Southlink.
Commuters in Adelaide’s north, south, north-east and the Adelaide Hills will get to ride for free.
It will cost an estimated $100,000 in unpaid fares each day.
The Transport Workers Union (TWU) has warned drivers could also go on strike for up to 24 hours at a time if their needs are not met.
They are fighting for better pay and security on the job.
“We’d like to see designated prescribed officers whether public or private, at the interchanges and on the buses,” Ray Wyatt from the TWU said.
The union’s own survey shows 15 per cent of drivers have been assaulted in the past year.
The decision not to accept fares and validate tickets is a first for the state.
