New Driver EBA

[Bus 400]

It looks like we can expect a few stop work meetings over the next little while. I say this as discussion on the new EBA starts. There is an article on it in today's Canberra Times about the possibility of making drivers work weekends.
What I don't quite get is the point that giving drivers a 10 minute break every 2.5 hours ACTION will need more drivers. There are shifts out there that give drivers 10 minute breaks at the end of every run & others that don't have any breaks. Couldn't a shake up of the shifts fix this problem.
The other claim is that these long breaks will add to ACTION's operating costs, when they want to increase weekend services, even though we don't have the passenger numbers on some weekend runs at the moment. Canberra will be stuck with the separate weekend routes for quite a while to come & you need more of the public to catch the bus before you try to double (or even triple) the number of empty buses on a weekend. It could be said that if we get rid of the separate weekend runs that the public will return. But that is a big waste of the public's money on a possibility.

[The Love Guru]

It looks like we can expect a few stop work meetings over the next little while. I say this as discussion on the new EBA starts. There is an article on it in today's Canberra Times about the possibility of making drivers work weekends.
What I don't quite get is the point that giving drivers a 10 minute break every 2.5 hours ACTION will need more drivers. There are shifts out there that give drivers 10 minute breaks at the end of every run & others that don't have any breaks. Couldn't a shake up of the shifts fix this problem.
The other claim is that these long breaks will add to ACTION's operating costs, when they want to increase weekend services, even though we don't have the passenger numbers on some weekend runs at the moment. Canberra will be stuck with the separate weekend routes for quite a while to come & you need more of the public to catch the bus before you try to double (or even triple) the number of empty buses on a weekend. It could be said that if we get rid of the separate weekend runs that the public will return. But that is a big waste of the public's money on a possibility.

To use one of my favourite movie quotes "spoken like a true asshole". Bit hard for people to catch the bus if it doesn't run. Would be nice if they took the time to look at all the successful operators out there and noticed the trend of decent service frequencys. The weekends are a complete balls up at the moment, its way too confusing and disjointed. A move to a 7 day a week off peak network with an increased peak hour expresso network would be the best way to address the problem. Could go into details but i don't think there is enough people listening to make it worth while!

[Buzz Killington]

We're listening but unfortunately in no position to change anything!

[CNG]

september october is too far away, a shift change must occur, the current shifts have been operating now for eight months and that is way too long. This must come to Liz Clarks attention at once!

[Buzz Killington]

Eight months is a very short time frame. Shifts have remained the same for much longer in the past.

Shift spills don't just occur for the hell of it. I imagine that it takes a lot of time and effort to assign all those shifts to drivers, and hence why we only generally see a spill when there's a big enough change to the network to require it.

[Snorzac]

It also cost a lot of money in overtime paid to cover the shift picks

[Barry Drive]

september october is too far away, a shift change must occur, the current shifts have been operating now for eight months and that is way too long. This must come to Liz Clarks attention at once!

Go for it princess*. Here is the link to ACT Government feedback form.

https://www.contact.act.gov.au/cgi-bin/canberraconnect.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php?p_accessibility=0&p_lva=36&p_prods=&p_cats=173,283

Just make sure you (a) spell Liz Clarke's name correctly and (b) make it clear why you know how to do her job better than she can.

(* thanks Belocdriver for the nickname)