NSW private bus drivers voice fears

Bus drivers have rallied outside NSW Parliament with warnings that tough penalties for late runs and stiff competition between operators could be putting lives at risk.

Dozens of drivers from private operators gathered with union officials to call on Transport Minister Andrew Constance to change the competitive tender process introduced to the sector in 2012.

The union wants the government to insist on minimum industry-wide benchmarks in areas like timetabling and training.

The government switched to competitive tenders to improve customer service and find cost savings.

But the Transport Workers' Union says it has led to a "race to the bottom" as rivals undercut one another.

"Employers in the industry are saying to us, `we don't want to lose contracts to companies based on them gutting safety standards'," TWU NSW secretary Michael Aird told reporters.

He said strike action is among measures being considered by the union.

Bankstown driver Geoff Auld is one of those who made the trip to Sydney's CBD on Thursday.

He has been on the road for 10 years and says his job has become more stressful in recent years.

Strict requirements to keep to tight timetables mean he is often forced to pull away from bus stops even as he watches regular customers running for the bus, he said.

He said drivers are also worried about elderly customers on their routes.

"The buses have got to get on the road and get moving while they're trying to sit down," he said.

"These are elderly people with walking frames and that. Having them fall over in the bus, that's a real worry to us."

An industrial agreement that covers thousands of private bus drivers is due to expire next month.