It's "not going to be a good day for commuters" today, Auckland Transport says.
It comes as Auckland bus drivers are striking for better pay this morning, possibly affecting up to 700 trips.
Auckland Transport's (AT) Richard Harrison told Breakfast another element of the strike is that bus drivers won't be waiting to align with the timetable if their trips are running early.
"And of course at the moment with the school holidays traffic is lighter so buses might be running ahead of timetables so that might inconvenience customers as well."
The strike is only set to last through to 8am, however, Harrison said AT anticipates there will be knock-on effects to later services as well.
Harrison said his message to commuters is to keep checking the AT app. He said they have cancelled most trips that they suspect will be affected by strike action.
The strike may affect up to 700 bus trips in Auckland this morning. (Source: Breakfast)
Asked where AT is at in terms of negotiations with bus drivers, Harrison said he "thanks" them for their hard work over the past year.
He confirmed that union representatives have agreed to enter a mediation today.
"I think they've done a fantastic job so now there's negotiations to make sure they're happy with what they're getting.
"We've seen several pay increases over the last year and they've been meaningful increases. We're working with operators at the moment to reach an average of $30 to pay for drivers, and this is part of the negotiation."
Also speaking to Breakfast this morning, Auckland Tramways Union president Gary Froggatt said he hopes today's mediation will mean drivers reach $30 per hour.
He said while the strike mainly concerns pay, bus drivers can have poor working conditions.
"It's mainly the pay issue but there are some issues with the 14 hour shifts that the drivers have to work currently under the Transport Act, and they're away from home about 16 hours a day.
"Also taking into account broken shifts, we can have a four hour unpaid break during the day, so they're long working days as well which is a major concern."
Bus and Coach Association NZ chief executive Delaney Myers told 1News the disruption caused by the strike is "disappointing".
"We understand that drivers, like most New Zealanders, are struggling with the cost of living, but it is disappointing to have this disruption when we have been making good progress on improving drivers' remuneration.
"Urban bus drivers have had unprecedented increases in wages over the last two years, following collaboration between the bus operators, unions, central and local government.
"We are hopeful that planned bargaining will be productive and disruption to Auckland commuters will be kept to a minimum," she said.
SHARE ME