ABC #399

IN FOCUS
CANBERRA BUS RALLY
We are one of the first
industries impacted and
the last ones to recover.
got guys ringing me in tears and
threatening suicide, and that
impacts my own mental health,”
Williams said.
In total, she had lost approximately
$100,000 in income and
forfeited two years of work due to
the pandemic, she adds.
“I will not see that level of income
for at least another three years,”
she said.
“Our industry is not like
restaurants or coffee shops that can
convert their output to takeaways.
We are one of the first industries
impacted and the last ones to
recover.”
GRATEFUL BUT STRUGGLING
Director of Near or Far Bus & Coach
in the Blue Mountains, NSW, Rod
Williams especially thanked Ms
Templeman, who arranged the
meetings with her Parliamentary
colleagues and raised the issue in
a Private Member Statement in
Parliament.
Williams says while smaller
bus companies were grateful
for government help such as
JobKeeper, many aspects of the
industry had been overlooked.
Small bus companies needed
help with crippling costs like depot
rental payments, vehicle registration,
insurances, fuel costs and toll fees
to remain viable and provide job
security for employees, he explains.
The group is calling on state
governments to share transport
work with all accredited operators
rather than just large companies,
he states.
Hartley adds that an extension
of JobKeeper past March 2021 was
also needed, along with negotiations
with creditors and industry specific
mental health support.
Williams also worried about the
thousands of bus drivers, mechanics,
cleaning and other ancillary staff
employed by the bus industry.
“We’re not using our vehicles so
we don’t need windscreens, tyres or
technicians, which means we’re not
bringing business to these people,”
he said.
“It’s life and death now. I’ve
LIFELINE NEEDED
Meanwhile, communities would also
be stripped of affordable transport
options when normal travel
resumed if a lifeline was not thrown
to the small private bus industry
now, he says.
Pre-Covid, these operators had
filled their buses with everyday
Australians and transported them to
school camps, swimming carnivals
and sporting activities, school
holiday outings, weddings, seniors’
daytrips and other social group
events. Now they are on the brink of
collapse, they say.
He urged people to contact their
local politicians.
“Many operators like myself
will not be around much longer
without some instant cash
injections and then some form
of ongoing assistance such as
low-interest government loans
with a non-payment term, then a
long-term payment plan.”
Above:
15 ‘desperate’
small buscompany
owners
in their buses
joined a convoy
that circled the
lawn in front of
the Parliament
House in
Canberra.
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ABC November 2020 busnews.com.au