Like many Tenambit and East Maitland residents, Elfriede Zimmerman relies on the 183 bus to take her to the shops and appointments.
The 72-year-old pensioner waited for two hours at her local bus stop last Friday morning before she was advised the service had been cancelled due to a lack of drivers caused by COVID.
"A bus going to Woodbury pulled over and the driver told me my bus had been cancelled," Ms Zimmerman said.
Left with no option, she was forced to pay $46 in taxi fares to attend her hairdressing appointment at Green Hills.
"I had to go to the chemist on Saturday. I asked the driver if there would be a bus to take me home and he said he didn't know," she said.
"I feel sorry for the drivers because it's not their fault. At the same time, it's scary because I am a diabetic."
Hunter Valley Buses, which runs the 183 service, apologised for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation.
"Like all businesses, we are facing a very tight labour market," a spokeswoman said.
She said the company had increased its intake of new drivers, including 26 in the past 6 months, in an attempt to provide additional coverage and reduce potential impacts on customers.
"We have also created a traineeship program to bring more drivers and mechanics into the industry. Our traineeship program assists drivers with a valid NSW C Class (car) licence to become fully qualified professional bus drivers with a nationally accredited qualification of Certificate III in Driving Operations," she said.
Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison said the state government should have taken action to prevent the crisis.
"It is appalling that vulnerable people and elderly people with medical conditions can't rely on public transport services due to critical driver shortages which the industry has warned of for years," she said.
"The government should have taken action well before now. It can take years for bus companies to get additional routes approved, in the meantime, the drivers are having to wrangle too many passengers on overcrowded buses.
"No wonder drivers are voting with their feet and leaving the industry. In the meantime, the government has failed to provide the necessary services to commuters.
"The end result is more congestion, more traffic, and a failing public transport system. The government must act urgently to increase patronage levels and they cannot do that if they cannot even guarantee that bus services will even run."
