A former Launceston Metro Tasmania bus driver has described his nearly two decades with the company, when he was subjected to regular abuse by passengers and other motorists, but received little in the way of support from the bosses at the state-owned company.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Frank Lowe drove a Metro bus in Launceston for over 17 years before he quit last September, and he said in that time, driver training, morale and mental health steadily declined.
"When I quit, my mental health was suffering. I felt like there was no support whatsoever from management anymore," he said.
"I came to a point where after 17 years, I just felt like nothing was going to change, and I had no choice but to pull the pin and walk out the door."
The shortfall in drivers at Metro in southern Tasmania has reached a crisis point, with the company announcing the cancellation of over 80 bus trips in the Hobart area on Wednesday.
Mr Lowe and other drivers interviewed recently in Launceston agreed that situation in Hobart could begin to spread north, given staffing pressures there.
He said there has been a revolving door of drivers, and morale is low because of the lack of support from management when incidents occur on buses.
"A lot of the time, drivers were just guilty until proven innocent when something happened on the buses ... drivers are treated like a liability rather than an asset to the company."
The company confirmed it has one experienced head trainer in Launceston, and several "relief trainers", some of which have very little experience as drivers.
Mr Lowe described one stressful episode where he was abused and threatened by a motorist.
"This motorist actually boarded my bus and threatened me, abused me, because I had allegedly pulled in front of him. So that was fairly scary."
In another incident, a passenger became abusive and aggressive after falling down on the bus and blamed Mr Lowe's driving.
"It all builds up and it plays a big part on your psyche, every time you get behind the wheel I'd be thinking 'what's going to happen next.'"
Metro Tasmania chief executive officer Katie Cooper said the company is concerned about these incidents of abuse.
"Metro has a range of security and safety measures in place, including arrangements with Tasmania Police, CCTV cameras on all buses and internal security and safety programs," she said.
But one driver interviewed this week recounted a number of times when the on-board camera system had failed to record incidents. Mr Lowe also said the system had failed him several times.
Ms Cooper also said Metro might try to re-introduce protective screens for drivers.
"We are also again exploring the introduction of screens for our people. While we appreciate that previously, our people indicated they did not want screens introduced... their safety is imperative, and we therefore consider it important to again consult with them about the introduction of these screens."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
