LONG WAIT: Grandmother Kathleen Freeman, 73, of Claremont, is stranded in the city after a doctor's appointment. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES
ELDERLY and student passengers were the main victims of stopwork action by Metro bus drivers yesterday as further disruptions over pay loomed.
Public transport around the state was hit when the drivers held a stop-work meeting between 10am and 2pm.
Many drivers began returning to depots before 10am for the meeting, meaning bus services were disrupted for more than four hours.
If a resolution is not reached over pay by next Friday, the drivers will again stop work, with action likely to hit workers and students.e
Union representative Samantha Simonetis said: "If we can't resolve the matter earlier, there will be further action that will affect passengers right across the community."
The stop-work caught many commuters by surprise.
Grandmother Kathleen Freeman, of Claremont, was shocked to discover she could not get home from a doctor's appointment in the city.
The 73-year-old had thought the buses were stopping at 2pm.
"I don't know what I'll do now. I have no money for a taxi. I am stranded here," she said.
Fortunately, Mrs Freeman was rescued by taxi driver Brett Leppard, who offered to let her pay the fare next week.
Philip Norton, of Montagu Bay, got to his bus stop at 2.20pm and waited nearly 90 minutes and watched three full buses drive past. Meanwhile, about 30 Rose Bay High School students arrived at the bus stop.
Chris Brown, 63, of Clarendon Vale, went out early before the buses were to stop to get bread and milk but was shocked when she could not get a bus home.
"I waited for half an hour from about 9am before I decided to get a cab
More than 8000 passengers were affected by the stop-work.
Stay-at-home dad Michael McKenna had to push his two children home in a pram.
"We live in North Hobart so it's not far for us but what if you lived further away?" he said.
Metro chief executive Heather Haselgrove apologised to passengers affected by the stop-work meeting.
Under planned new wages, Metro drivers would earn between $715 a week in their first year and $865 in the fourth.
"Metro has made its best offer of a 2 per cent increase it is twice what inflation has been in the past 12 months," Ms Haselgrove said.
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