Bay of Plenty bus drivers have become some of the highest paid in the country after an agreed wage hike to $28 an hour.

The rise in earnings – an extra $4.35 an hour from the previous rate of $23.65 – was announced by Bay of Plenty Regional Council officials on Monday.

The new rate of $28 eclipses the previous nationwide high of $27.76, which was handed to bus drivers in Otago late last month.

An agreement was reached following negotiations between NZ Bus, which operates the Tauranga city bus services, their council partners and First Union, and follows Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency's claim that the shortage of bus drivers is the 'weakest link” in Government plans to reduce vehicle emissions by boosting public transport use.

Council's public transport director, Greg Campbell, says the approval to raise the hourly wage was an 'emphatic step” towards tackling what he called a 'critical national shortage of bus drivers”.

'This wage rise will attract new drivers to the role,” Campbell says.

'Across New Zealand, public transport operators are experiencing bus driver shortages and we see this as being a critical step in the right direction towards addressing that.

Campbell says council had recognised the benefits of a 'reliable, efficient” public transport network and its importance in Tauranga - New Zealand's fifth-largest city in its fastest-growing region.

'By making sure we're keeping up with what is expected and attractive to drivers in pay rates, we are confident that we will be able to lift our current recruitment situation, and in turn the contribution our networks make to growing and supporting the Bay of Plenty,” he says.

The region's bus networks have been running to reduced timetables since the Covid-19 pandemic began. In some areas it is estimated that bus driver numbers are almost 30 per cent less than the number required to provide a reliable service.

The increase came in on October 1 and will be backdated.

Head of Kinetic NZ, Calum Haslop, says NZ Bus were 'delighted” with the outcome.

'We required council's support as the way our contracts adjust for cost increases over time has made it difficult to keep pace with wage increases across other sectors,” he says.

'NZ Bus is committed to making bus driving an attractive opportunity for a broad range of people by maintaining competitive wages, being a well-regarded and trusted employer, and looking after our people.

'NZ Bus is working hard to address the current shortage of drivers and a return to providing full timetables across our services in Tauranga.”

Calum Haslop. Photo: Supplied/Stuff.

First Union assistant general secretary Louisa Jones says the pay increase recognised 'the importance bus drivers have to our communities”, and cited the 'uniquely challenging work environment” that Bay of Plenty drivers have dealt with over the last few years.

Her comments come following a spate of violence at bus stops in Tauranga earlier this year which prompted regional council to restrict free bus fares for under-18-year-olds.

In one instance, a union representative called for security guards' hours to be extended at bus stops in Tauranga and Mount Maunganui after a passenger was caught carrying a machete onto a bus.

'It's crucial across Aotearoa that we recruit new bus drivers while recognising skills and long service, and with Bay of Plenty drivers now earning an average of around $28 per hour, the job is more attractive than ever in almost all of our major centres,” says Jones.

- Dan Sheridan/Stuff.