Who’d be a bus driver? 

Given nine out of 10 new Sydney drivers quit the industry within six months of joining it, it’s a question focusing the mind of the NSW government as it grapples to service its own bus routes.

Could it be the hard seats? The long shifts? The split shifts? The inadequate toilet breaks? The drivers who duck into your lane and brake as the lights go orange? The ill-tempered passengers who call you “all the names under the sun”? The inch-close shaves? The pay?

According to Angie, a North Shore bus driver who spoke to the Lorikeet this week, it’s “all of the above”. And it’s leading drivers who ferry people on the North Shore about to walk off the job.

What is happening: Sydney is about 200 drivers short, and bus companies and the government have been forced to hire them from New Zealand.

Angie has worked at the Willoughby bus depot for 16 years. Typically, she drives the 120 from Chatswood to and from the QVB in the morning and clocks off around 3pm, though we had to delay our interview when her shift was extended, which she says is not uncommon.

NSL: What bugs you about driving? 

A: The seats are not favourable for the drivers at all. Especially some buses, they've still got just a lap seat belt. Those particular seats are like sitting on cement. They're not — what's that word? — ergonomic.

Then there's traffic. I find, over the past couple of years, people are making up their own road rules, and they have no consideration for buses.

Say, for instance, I'm driving along the freeway, I always leave a buffer zone in front of the car in front of me. So if I need to stop abruptly, I can, because it takes a longer distance for a bendy to stop. But you've got drivers just chipping in front of you, you know, it can be rather frustrating. 

Is there much abuse?

It can happen. I don't get abused very often. I don't know if it's because I'm a woman or what — I tend to greet everyone with a smile, so maybe that lowers people's frustration.

But I have been shouted at, and it's not pleasant. Especially when people call you all the names under the sun. And you just have to deal with that. You've just got to keep driving. You can't just pull over and get out of the seat.

Tell us about the regulars.

There's some, especially on the 120; people know my name and I know their name, and we greet each other. It just gives you a good feeling to carry on throughout the day. 

Why is there a shortage of bus drivers? 

Probably because of the conditions. The amount of hours that you have to work, the pay specifically is not good, considering the amount of hours that we're out on the road. Sometimes, for instance, I have to hold off going to the toilet for up to three to four hours because there's no toilets.

It's obviously not a physical job, but mentally, because you're in the seat, your eyes are just everywhere. You can't just focus straight ahead. You're looking at the traffic lights. You're looking at your mirrors on either side of the bus to make sure no one's going to chip in front of you, or if they're getting too close to the back of the bus. You're preempting people's decisions, how they're going to drive.

[New drivers] think it's okay for them at the beginning, and then, after their training, they've decided, ‘Oh God, this isn't really for me’.

You do really have to be a different breed of person to be a bus driver. I would never have thought about this before I started. People look at you differently too. They look at you, you know, in not a nice way. Like you're the lower, the scum. 

Read the full interview here.

Trains outside Milsons Point Station came to a halt on Thursday morning when a teenage boy fell from a train on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

What happened: At 11:30am on Thursday, emergency services were called to “the railway corridor between Wynyard and Milsons Point train stations” after receiving reports a person had fallen onto the tracks.

NSW Police understand a teenage boy fell from a train onto the tracks on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. 

A helicopter with a medical team landed at Bradfield Park to treat the boy. Police have commenced an investigation into the incident.

Transport for NSW advised passengers to expect delays and gaps in service due to the incident. 

Before we get into the news, here’s some events and things to do that caught our attention this week.

North Shore detectives have commenced an investigation after a human torso was found in Lane Cove bushland yesterday. 

Around 2.30pm on Wednesday, police were called to a location in Lane Cove North following reports of human remains.

North Shore NSW Police officers attended the scene, where they located a couch containing a human torso.

A crime scene was established and forensic specialists took the human remains for post-mortem examination. The remains are yet to be identified, though police believe they belong to an adult man.

Where is the best place to take your beloved canine?

We put a callout on our Instagram for your dog park recommendations and compiled a list of some of the best spots in the north to let those dogs run free. 

Tunks Park 

Three sporting fields at the bottom of Cammeray. Dog poop bags at the park entrance on Brothers Avenue. Features: toilets, bubblers, picnic tables, playground, harbour views and a coffee cart at select hours.

Prone to flooding in wet weather. Dogs must be kept on leash in bushland areas, including the nearby Flat Rock Creek walking trail. 

Where: Brothers Avenue, Cammeray

Blackman Park

The premium North Shore choice for dog walking. Features a large playing field for off-leash play (dogs are not allowed on the astroturf fields) and a small dog agility course (bars to jump, tubes to run through). 

For smaller, possibly anxious dogs, the park has a separated, enclosed play area where the Yorkshire terriers, French poodles and Chihuahuas won’t be bothered by the greyhounds, huskies and Danes. 

Next to this is Puppy Tail Cafe, which serves treats and refreshments for humans and pups. Other features: dog poop bags, bubbler, toilets.

Where: Lloyd Rees Drive, Lane Cove West

Naremburn Park 

A popular lower North Shore dog walking spot. Dog poop bags near Dalleys Road Entrance. Features: two large ovals, bubblers, picnic tables, playground and, on occasion, a bagpipe player. 

Where: Station Street, Naremburn

St Thomas Rest Park

This area along the Warringah Freeway doubles as a cemetery and dog park. Dog poop bags at the western and eastern entrances. Features: toilets, bubbler, playground, picnic tables and a number of notable North Shore grave sites, including the shared pyramid tomb of Edward Wollstonecraft and Alexander Berry. 

Dogs not permitted within 10 metres of the playground.

Where: West Street, Crows Nest 

Read the full guide below.

Polling suggests Opposition Leader Jess Wilson won't need One Nation's support to form government after the Victorian election. But actually getting laws passed could be a challenge.

📊 The numbers: The latest DemosAU poll, published on November 9, has the Coalition on 33 percent of the primary vote, One Nation on 21 percent and Labor on 18 percent.

🗳️ What's changing: From this election, upper house votes only go where the voter sends them.

Under the old system (called group ticket voting), if you voted 1 for a party above the line, that party decided where your preferences went. 

🔮The prediction: Former ABC election analyst Antony Green told the National Account One Nation could win eight to 10 upper house seats, the Greens six to eight, the Liberals around 14 and Labor around eight, which he described as a "very divided upper house".

🤝 Why it matters: Wilson confirmed this week the Coalition will preference One Nation ahead of Labor and the Greens.

Watch the National Account's Archie Milligan below: