Nationals take up school bus contractors’ concerns, Redman
Author: Terry Redman
Published on: 24-January-2011
The Parliamentary National Party has made a submission to the Review of School Bus Services (Orange Bus) Contracts, detailing the challenges faced by bus contractors in regional WA.
Member for Blackwood-Stirling, Terry Redman, said the School Bus Services (Orange Bus) Contracts: Issues for Resolution paper, published by the Public Transport Authority, provided a good opportunity for bus contractors to raise issues and concerns.
Mr Redman said, “School buses provide an essential service for students and families in regional areas and in 2009 alone those buses travelled a distance of over 28 million kilometres.
“More than 25,000 students across Western Australia are transported to school on orange buses every day. Fluctuating fuel costs, concerns about security of tenure and issues with the contract renewal process are among the challenges facing the contractors who operate those buses.
Mr Redman said he was pleased that a significant number of bus contractors were taking the opportunity to comment on the School Bus Services (Orange Bus) Contracts: Issues for Resolution paper, published in December 2010
“The Nationals have also chosen to make a submission to the review, based on the concerns raised with us by local bus operators in regional areas.
“Our submission asks the Review Panel to consider a number of changes to simplify the current system and to increase certainty for bus contactors,” Mr Redman said.
The key amendments sought include more flexible contract negotiations to better meet the needs of individual operators, the creation of an independent arbitrator to hear disputes, and changes to the contract renewal system for existing bus contractors.
“We are hopeful that this review will result in changes that make it easier for bus contractors to do their job, while ensuring orange school buses maintain the highest level of service and safety.”
