Auckland transport bus services to be affected due to new law on paid work

Bus users, from next Monday, will face disruptions due to a new law on paid work rest coming into effect. Auckland Transport which subsidizes many bus services will be canceled or altered. An official statement said most of the affected services would be off-peak. “Auckland Transport has worked closely with bus operators and unions to minimize changes to services, brought about by an amendment to the Employment Relations Act. The changes come into effect from Monday and prescribe more regular work time breaks for bus drivers. This in turn means some timetable changes or service cancellations.”

Stacey Van Der Putten, the agency’s manager of metro services said customers would have many travel options. “Our bus operators have done a great job and they have managed to keep the impact very low.” She said Auckland Transport will continue to work with the operators along with the New Zealand Transport Agency and the Ministry of Transport. “We want to keep as many services operating as possible while upholding the intent of the Act.”