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Serious sex crimes
committed in the past are coming back to haunt the nation's public transport
drivers. Two Waikato bus drivers
are out of a job on Monday as a result of a controversial new law
highlighting historic crimes. They join about 280
other drivers around the country set to lose their passenger transport
licences as a result of changes to the Land Transport Amendment Act. However, anger at the
sweeping impact of the law change may see the Government take a second look
at it. Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven said the Government was
seeking advice. The new law affects
drivers with serious sexual convictions, punishable by a maximum seven years'
prison. The two Waikato drivers
work for Go Bus Transport Ltd which won't say what crimes they committed or
who they are. Operations director Darryl Bellamy said he was hopeful one of
them might be able to escape the impact of the law. He said the driver from
Hamilton in his late 40s had just received a letter relating to a conviction
about 25 years ago. Mr Bellamy said he
wanted to clarify whether the crime fitted into the serious category and
would apply to Land Transport New Zealand. The man would stay on
the company payroll in the meantime. Mr Bellamy said the
other man, in his 60s, drove a school bus in North Waikato and had been
picked out due to an offence about 40 years ago. Mr Bellamy said Go Bus
had about 300 drivers but losing the pair was a "damn nuisance". He said he applauded
the intention behind the law change but questioned the execution and the
amount of research. Hamilton taxi companies
said none of their drivers were affected. Red Cabs manager Mike Smith said he
believed the law change was a knee-jerk reaction. He said he thought drivers'
situations should be looked at on a case-by-case basis. The 285 drivers written
to have no right of appeal but stories have emerged around the country of
drivers with long and impeccable driving records being forced off the road. One Dunedin driver is losing
his licence because as a 16-year-old 34 years ago, he had sex with his
15-year-old girlfriend, just two days short of her 16th birthday. Kaiapoi driver Beau
Harrison will be off the road because about 40 years ago when he was 18, he
had sex with a 15-year-old co-worker in a shearing gang, believing she was
the same age as him. Land Transport New
Zealand spokesman Andy Knackstedt said the organisation was powerless to do
anything other than apply the law.
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