00:00Maneuvering these mammoths off the road takes practice.
00:10Two hundred bus drivers are needed to run the pink South West Link service.
00:15It'll replace trains between Sydenham and Bankstown for a year, while the line is converted
00:19for driverless Metro trains.
00:21Someone with a car licence can take up to six to eight weeks to be fully competent and
00:26trained.
00:27340 drivers have been recruited so far, leaving 60 positions vacant.
00:31So the going rate is $70,000 per annum or roughly $35 per hour.
00:37The union says that's not enough.
00:39You would do a lot of other work and occupations that pay that much plus more before having
00:46to put up with the issues in which bus drivers put up with.
00:49We're offering a $6,000 sign-up bonus.
00:52With the cost of living hitting households, the government says people looking for a second
00:56job should consider an office on wheels.
00:59Parents who are looking for extra cash to take on part-time or flexible shifts as well.
01:05Alison Smith is a new recruit.
01:07What did you do before?
01:09I was doing disability support.
01:10It's great to see female drivers taking up the opportunity.
01:12Oh, the customers love the female drivers.
01:15The government previously said the South West Link would begin between July and October.
01:19But it looks more like towards September, October time.
01:23Despite the yet-to-be-recruited drivers needing up to two months training, the minister insists
01:28the service will be ready.
01:29I'm confident that we will have those drivers.
01:32Of course, transport for New South Wales has contingencies in place.
01:36Even with the South West Link running at full capacity, the service will take longer than
01:40the train.
01:41Commuters are being warned to allow extra time to travel.
01:44It will add several minutes, if not tens of minutes of time to your journey.
01:49Tens of thousands of journeys a day are depending on the recruitment drive.
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