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Nick Proud was driving through Erindale in Canberra's south on Friday morning when he saw a group of people looking confused at a bus stop.
He had heard earlier that bus drivers across the city had gone abruptly on strike in an unprotected action, citing concerns for their safety.
Canberra bus services returned to normal on Saturday morning after an agreement was reached, but no public buses ran on Friday.
Mr Proud said he pulled over to inform the people at the bus stop that no bus would be arriving.
"I told three people who were quite shocked, and one had a bit of an emergency medical [appointment] that she had to get to in Tuggeranong, so [I said], 'Jump in. I don't have a meeting until 10,'" Mr Proud said.
He ended up driving a carload of people to their destinations.
"I've gone to the city and then from the city I've gone back to Woden," he said.
In his red Mustang, he was hard to miss.
People were left waiting at bus stops around Canberra during the snap driver strike. (ABC News: Mary Goode)
"It's an old red 64 Mustang so when it pulls up, it usually catches the eye, so [they were] shocked on both levels," he joked.
"One of them got a selfie with the car. They were quite happy with the whole experience."
"It's been a lot of fun — Pat, Sarah, Sasha," Mr Proud said, naming some of those who had received lifts.
"At one point I had four people in my car. They're all strangers, all laughing.
"From that difficult circumstance was a bit of fun. It was great meeting people.
"[I'm] glad I could help people get where they needed to go on a day that was unexpectedly difficult for most people."
He said he had sympathy for the bus drivers involved in the strike.
"I think it's a rightful situation that … the bus drivers have obviously made a stand," Mr Proud said.
Small steps taken for drivers 'not worth the paper they are written on'
Transport Canberra drivers outside the Belconnen bus depot after walking off the job in a snap strike. (ABC News: Courtney Barrett Peters )
The snap strike was prompted by an incident on a Canberra bus the night before, the Transport Workers' Union said.
Bus driver David, which is not his real name, said he had been involved in multiple "serious incidents" over the years — and though none resulted in injury, they still had "a strong and lasting impact" on him.
"I've been a driver for five years with Transport Canberra, and in those five years I have had three very serious incidents of workplace violence," he said.
"However, I know of numerous colleagues … too many colleagues who have not been as lucky and experienced worse than I have."
David said that beyond aggression, he also witnessed other anti-social behaviours that affected his working life, many of those involving "out of control" young people who faced no consequences for their actions.
"On dedicated school services I have had the bus graffitied, rubbish left everywhere and on one occasion, a used pregnancy test left on the floor of my bus," he said.
"It is not just kids however … I've had grown adults blame me for them missing their bail requirements by simply following the scheduled timetable, and I've had abuse hurled at me for asking people to ensure seats are available for use on busy services.
"For me, while I had no idea this strike was coming, [it's] about the safety of not only myself and my colleagues but for my passengers."
Canberra bus drivers say small steps like workplace orders achieve next to nothing. (Supplied: TCCS ACT)
David said he wanted to see "meaningful action" from Transport Canberra.
"It is clear that this isn't a situation that can be resolved overnight or even in the coming weeks, however it is out of hand," he said.
"The small steps that are being taken, such as the workplace orders that the minister refers to, are not worth the paper they are written on and achieve next to nothing."
'This cannot continue anymore'
Canberra bus driver of 20 years Todd, which is not his real name, said most of what he had seen and experienced was fairly minor compared to the stories of his coworkers.
"No fish heads I'm happy to say, [but] I've had eggs thrown at me, rocks thrown at me from overpasses," he said.
Todd said he arrived at the bus depot on Friday and found the gates locked and his coworkers assembled outside, having decided "enough was enough".
"We're calling out violence. We're saying that this cannot continue anymore. We had to speak in the strongest way we can," he said.
"I am a member of the union [and] I stand with them. I stand by our decision not to drive."
Klaus Pinkas of the Transport Workers' Union ACT branch says no workforce should have to put up with 40 assaults on average every month. (ABC News: Mark Moore)
Transport Workers Union ACT Sub-Branch secretary Klaus Pinkas said the lack of notice was a consequence of the systems in place.
"It's unfortunate that it came to this [but] If you give notice of these things they don't happen," he said.
Mr Pinkas said Transport Canberra had for a while agreed with some of the union-proposed strategies — including better screens between drivers and passengers and the ability to suspend passengers without going through the court — but in that time they had not happened.
"While people think, 'Yeah this has come out of the blue,' this has been boiling for a long time and it reached a crescendo," he said.
"Forty assaults recorded a month [on average] is just unacceptable. No workforce should put up with that.
"I think that we've got the message across loud and clear that we won't put up with the lack of action from Transport Canberra on this issue because it's a fundamental right to go to work and be protected by your employer."
Transport Minister Chris Steel says everyone deserves respect at work. (ABC News: Emmy Groves)
Speaking to the media yesterday, Transport Minister Chris Steel said the government was committed to the safety of workers.
"Everyone deserves respect at work, and the government is committed to ensuring safety for all drivers and passengers,'' Mr Steel said.
"ACT Labor committed at the election to introduce a new team of transport officers on our bus routes to promote safety and we will deliver that commitment.
"We developed that commitment after meeting with drivers to hear their concerns.
"We also committed to review legislative powers for transport officers to address anti-social behaviour.''