“This is a fantastic move and should’ve happened long ago,” he said.
“Buses and trains run whether they’re full or not so as long as there are seats to spare and drivers are not taking seats from children or the elderly, then this is a very sensible, welcome move.”
Transport for NSW is now consulting with operators, employees and unions on the rollout of the free Opal cards, which drivers and other workers will be able to use to travel across the Opal-enabled public transport network.
Last month, the NSW Government kicked off a new recruitment campaign in an effort to address the bus driver shortage to help improve reliability for passengers.
Since the start of the recruitment drive, around 450 new bus driver authorities have been issued, with the $70 application fee waived for the next year.
Apply at transport.nsw.gov.au/busdriver.
Help drive transport improvements
ALL bus drivers will be able to travel for free on public transport, as part of a major overhaul to improve services by incentivising more drivers to get behind the wheel.
Former Transdev CEO Robert Macey is applauding the move, calling it long overdue for all bus drivers, including those in Cumberland.
