Metlink will temporarily halt 67 trips on the Wellington bus network from Monday while it struggles with a bus driver shortage.
General Manager Samantha Gain, said while the lack of staff is a problem nationwide, Wellington city has been particularly affected.
“At a national level, there are promising movements around driver recruitment for the industry, including recent lobbying to the government to change immigration settings," said Gain.
“However, in the short term, we are still at an undeniable statistical disadvantage, needing an additional 120 drivers for a full complement.”
Both morning and afternoon trips across 14 Wellington routes will be affected by the change, and while Gain said reducing the frequency isn't a long-term solution to the staffing shortage, the step improves the reliability of the remaining services.
"We’ve worked with the operator to introduce temporary suspensions which will remove trips from our higher frequency routes or less patronised services to better allocate available drivers and improve reliability."
She said Metlink would prepare for the changes by moving larger buses onto the affected routes to compensate.
“Operators will also prioritise trips on these routes to avoid consecutive cancellations where possible."
But she warned some Wellington commuters could expect a crowded bus ride come Monday.
“Despite more and more people working from home, during the morning and afternoon peak on these routes, affected customers may find their bus is more full than usual,” said Gain.
Gain said customers should check the Metlink website and app before planning their journey.
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