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Fare-free Thursday as bus drivers strike

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Bus users could travel for free on Thursday as drivers are likely to switch off Go Card machines as part of ongoing strike action.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union will go ahead with planned industrial action on Thursday and Friday as it fights for a wage increase, rostering changes and safer buses.

At this stage, union-member bus drivers plan to not take fares on Thursday and walk off the job from 2pm and 6pm on Friday.

Not taking fares on Thursday could mean up to $500,000 lost in revenue.

Only union-member bus drivers are likely to have the choice to participate in the protected industrial action, so residents should be prepared to pay a fare and touch on and off if the machine is available.

Brisbane City Council's public transport boss Adrian Schrinner said the union's planned action was disappointing. 

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"It is not punishing council, it's punishing the people of Brisbane, it's punishing the passengers out there who just need to get home on a Friday afternoon. So, we are disappointed, we'd like to see children's safety prioritised more than is being done at the moment."

Both the RTBU and the council had committed to ensuring no school child was left behind during the strike and non-striking drivers would drive identified school routes.

Cr Schrinner said the council was still concerned students could end up stranded.

"Unfortunately we don't know what's going to happen on Friday, We don't know how many drivers will choose to participate in the strike action, so there are some big unanswered questions," he said.

"Please, if you're a parent, make a Plan B." 

The RTBU and the council have been negotiating the terms of their enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) since October 2016. 

The council offered a 2.5 per cent pay increase every year for three years plus a $400 signing bonus, but on Tuesday RTBU secretary Tom Brown said drivers wanted a 3.5 per cent increase.

Cr Schrinner said the council offer was fair, with the offer made across the entire council organisation.  

"The RTBU believe they're entitled to something different, we will disagree with that," he said.

"We believe that the 2.5 per cent is a fair increase. it is above inflation, so it's above the cost of living increases and it is reasonable."

On Thursday, Cr Schrinner said the only thing that could stop the strike action was if the union reconsidered. 

"Ultimately it takes the bus drivers as well to reconsider their involvement in this strike action. As I said, don't punish the people of Brisbane. You have a right to obviously make demands in an EBA negotiation, but please don't punish the people of Brisbane while you're doing it," he said.

It was understood a new EBA would be agreed on in August when every council employee was given an opportunity to vote yes or no on the 2.5 per cent offer.

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