More bus talks today

Relief may be close for frustrated Auckland bus passengers, even though they face another day of disruption before the drivers' strike ends tonight.

Mediated pay talks resumed between union representatives and the Stagecoach company last night, as Aucklanders crammed rail platforms and jammed the region's roads yet again on their way home, in the absence of the region's main bus fleet.

The sides spent several hours in Labour Department mediation rooms before adjourning overnight, and will meet again this morning in the hope of making an announcement by about noon.

Combined unions advocate Gary Froggatt, indicating that possibility, described the talks as "interesting" but would say no more.

Whatever happens this morning in the seven-month pay dispute, it will be too late to spare Stagecoach's more than 70,000 passengers another 24 hours without buses, before the six-day strike ends tonight.

They also face more disruption on Thursday, from yet another stopwork meeting.

Unions representing about 900 drivers after the defection of several dozen others to individual agreements say they need a meeting either to vote on a negotiated deal, or to plan more action in the absence of a new pay offer.

Although Thursday's stopwork meeting will be held after the morning traffic peak, there is not yet any guarantee drivers will return to work from it, meaning afternoon school buses may not be able to deliver children home.

The drivers intend marching on Auckland Regional Council's offices after the meeting if the dispute remains unresolved, given that about $35 million of public money is spent annually on subsidising Stagecoach services.

Mr Froggatt allowed himself some optimism before last night's talks, saying: "There appears to be a willingness by Stagecoach to get this thing moving so that's positive."

He disclosed earlier that the parties had been "frustratingly close" to reaching a deal at talks on Saturday.

Stagecoach executive chairman Ross Martin said before last night's talks that although he was encouraged by the unions' agreement to meet his negotiators, "it is not going to be easy".

The company is losing about $1 million from the strike, and said earlier that this would reduce the amount available for a wage rise.

Although it has automatically lost public subsidies as well as fares, Auckland City Council's transport committee wants the regional council's transport authority to consider tightening performance measures in future bus contracts to guard against more disruption.

Stagecoach's previous best offer to drivers was of a $600 cash sum in lieu of six months' backpay, and an hourly wage of $15 now, to be followed by $15.33c next year and $16 in 2007.

The drivers have been battling for an immediate rise to $16, but Mr Froggatt has said they may be prepared to accept $15 with full backpay for a one-year deal.

Aucklanders were blessed with fine weather again yesterday, reducing gridlock, although many arterial roads were heavily congested.

Trains faced serious delays on the western rail line for several hours yesterday morning after one hit a car blocking tracks at Kingsland.

The car driver was unhurt as he was not in the vehicle when the empty train hit just before 6am on its way to collect passengers from Waitakere, but the police took a blood-alcohol sample after finding him in a "disoriented" state.

They initially thought he may have taken a wrong turn off George St, but rail operator Connex understood the car stalled in the road and became stuck on the tracks while the man was trying to push-start it downhill.

Although the train's driving cab suffered only superficial damage, the car was a write-off and took more than half an hour to clear from the tracks, triggering a chain reaction of delays for several hours and making hundreds of passengers late for work or classes.

But Connex general manager Chris White said the rail system was otherwise standing up well under an 80 per cent temporary rise in patronage.

He said the experience had shown that the network could easily cope with more than double its existing passenger loads in the next few years.

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