Metro Tasmania has sent out messages to drivers asking them to pick up shifts as the company struggles to deal with staff shortages causing services across Hobart to be cancelled.
The bus company has had to cancel another 71 services in Hobart today, following on from the 97 cancelled on Thursday and more than 70 on Wednesday.
Both drivers and the company attributed the cancellations to staff shortages.
But while Metro is likening its staff shortage issues to those experienced in other industries, bus drivers say they are quitting in droves because the company is failing to protect them from the abusive behaviour of a small number of passengers.
The Tasmanian Rail and Bus Union has warned that the problem is only going to get worse and it is planning to request a crisis meeting with the state government.
But for Suzanne Badcock any fix will come too late.
She was a driver at Metro for almost two years. Monday was her last day on the job.
Despite loving the work and her colleagues, she said she got to a point where she could not take it anymore.
"I really love the job. I love the driving, but Metro just didn't back us up, for $25.71 an hour to be out there and be abused," she said.
"We need security on the buses, we need better safety so they can't spit on us and physically abuse us, there's just nothing being done."
Ms Badcock also said there was a racial element to some of the abuse her fellow drivers experienced.
"[The Sikhs are] being abused because of who they are, because of their culture and that's just wrong," she said.
"There are particular people who've been spat on and that's because they're Indian. That's racist. That's not fair."
Drivers feel 'fobbed off'
Another driver, who still works at the company and chose not to be named, said he had also noticed foreign drivers tended to be targeted by abusers.
Both the drivers said when they tried to report incidents of abuse or threatening behaviour to Metro, the company would not follow up.
"They need to start taking notice of what drivers actually say to management and not fobbing it off," he said.
"We're the ones of the coal face and yet they don't seem to take it seriously."
"They went around putting stickers on the bus here a month ago saying Metro is going to have zero tolerance for bad behaviour.
"All that was a tick a box thing because since then we've had drivers call up for assistance and Metro don't seem to want to worry about it."
The man, who has been at Metro for a number of years, said it has changed "quite a bit" in his time.
"When I first started, there were people at Metro who were there for 30 or 40 years, so people never left Metro," he said.
"Not too many retired of their own will. They left Metro and are working at other bus companies."
The Tasmanian Rail and Bus Union estimates about 187 drivers left Metro last year.
"This has been going on for too long. Metro management have been in denial about it for 12 months," said the union's Ric Bean.
"Twelve months ago we did an extensive survey of members, 50 per cent of the workforce indicated to us they were considering resigning from Metro and basically that's what happened over the course of the year."
Mr Bean believes the company is now short about 40 drivers.
"They can't replace them. They're having trouble finding people because it's become such a crap job," he said.
"People's wellbeing is not being taken seriously. Our members are being treated like crap only by a minority of people out there and they're not being treated with respect by management."
'Tougher powers' an option
Labor transport spokesman Josh Willie said it was "time for Michael Ferguson to listen".
"How many warnings does he need before he intervenes in Metro?" he said.
"We had 20 per cent of the workforce leave last year. It's time for him to listen to the drivers' concerns.
"How many drivers need to speak out before he takes action — things like screens in buses, transit officers, things that the drivers are asking for."
In a statement on Wednesday, Transport Minister Michael Ferguson said he had told his department to "support Metro with anti-social behaviour measures".
"Overwhelmingly, most passengers are excellent, however it's disgusting how a small number of people are treating our drivers and other users," he said.
"If my department and Metro request tougher powers, the government will provide whatever is required."
On Wednesday, Metro CEO Katie Cooper said the company had planned for the disruptions and was expecting more cancellations over the next week or two.
She said Metro had been "recruiting quite strongly" for the last couple of months and would continue to do so.
