Safety & Wellbeing
Putting People First
Strong leadership and the wellbeing of our people is a cornerstone of our safety culture. Every passenger and employee deserves a safe and healthy travel and work experience.
At Ritchies we’re committed to providing that. Our belief is that incidents and injuries are preventable, so we prioritise prevention, actively identifying and mitigating risks.
SAFETY
Safer driving
One of the most powerful tools to ensure good safety management and drive a strong culture is training and education.
- Mentors at our depots and our in-house Driver Academy provide hands-on training to embed safe practices into our operations.
- Our continuous learning programme covers de-escalation, customer experience, first aid, and emergency response.
The result is fewer incidents, higher reliability, safer trips and greater assurance for everyone who travels with us.
Safer fleet
Safety is built into every bus and depot we design. Our newest buses include systems that detect faults early so the fleet stays reliable.
- Protective driver screens, live CCTV and AI-enabled cameras help keep passengers and drivers secure.
- Low-floor ramps, wide aisles, clear audio-visual information and accessibility features make our services inclusive and safe for all.
Safety leadership
Safety starts with our people on the ‘front line’. Health and safety representatives, including drivers, actively monitor performance and manage risks.
Working together, they identify improvements and offer practical solutions.
- Leaders show visible commitment with regular safety walks in depots and on our services.
- Lessons are shared from incidents and refresher training and coaching reinforces the behaviours we expect.
Our leaders are skilled, accountable, and committed to keeping our people and passengers safe.
WELLBEING
Wellbeing
Working in transport can be demanding, with early starts, late finishes, and long periods of sedentary work.
- Workshops on resilience, stress management and self-care help people stay strong, confident and capable.
- Every one of the team and their families have free access to a 24/7 wellbeing mobile app which provides medical, mental health and physical support.
Caring about our employees’ health and positivity means they can be calm and focused on the customer experience.
Keeping Watch
CCTV cameras are one of the most visible ways we keep drivers and passengers safe and secure.
Our urban buses are equipped with cameras, audio, radio communication and a duress system. These tools help deter poor behaviour and allow us to monitor incidents as they happen.
Onboard aggression
Like all operators, our teams sometimes face challenges with onboard incidents. We’ve developed a range of measures and training, shared with the industry, to improve passenger and driver safety.
Protective driver screens are now standard on all new urban fleet and in partnership with Auckland Transport we have also fitted them to selected diesel buses already in service.
