Howick and Eastern Buses is looking to fill 25 bus driver vacancies.

Auckland bus companies are having to put managers and office staff behind the wheel most days because they can't find drivers willing to do the job.

Birkenhead Transport managing director Robert Inwards said he was driving buses daily and would need to continue doing so for the forseeable future because of a shortage of drivers.

Fellow Auckland bus company Ritchies lodged an application to Immigration New Zealand last month seeking permission to fill 110 bus driver jobs with migrant workers, citing a shortage of local candidates.

The application was criticised by First Union, which said there was no shortage and, if anything, there was an oversupply of drivers in New Zealand.

READ MORE: Government should decline Ritchies' request to hire 110 migrant bus drivers, union says

Inwards said the driver shortage was very much a reality.

"I've been out driving this morning because we just don't have enough staff," Inwards said.

His fellow company director had been driving buses as well, he said.

"I would really like to know where the union thinks these hundreds of drivers are because they're not coming in our door."

He wanted the union to provide a list of surplus drivers' details.

"If they're suitable then we would be more than happy to consider them."

He would employ up to six drivers tomorrow if they were suitable candidates, he said.

Since Christmas Birkenhead Transport had spent $5000 on advertising bus driver positions but there was little interest.

"We've probably employed five drivers in that time.

"We're getting very very few replies."

Birkenhead employs 110 drivers. It needed six more drivers at the moment but would require another 30 by September, he said.

New Zealanders did not want to work weekend or night shifts which were required from bus drivers, he said.

Bus drivers often had to work split shifts which meant they had a four hour gap to fill in the middle of the day. This also did not appeal to some Kiwis, he said.

Drivers at Birkenhead was paid $21.50 an hour, however, that was turned down by the union, he said.

Auckland company Howick and Eastern Buses general manager Sheryll Otway said she had operational staff driving buses every day of the week due to a driver shortage.

SUPPLIED Howick and Eastern Buses general manager Sheryll Otway says she'd love to hear from available bus drivers.

"If the union have an abundance of drivers I would really like to see them at our door."

Howick and Eastern Buses employs 182 bus drivers and has 25 vacancies to fill.

"We've had a shortage not just for the last month but that last 12 months."

Bus and Coach Association chief executive Barry Kid said the union's suggestion there was an over supply of drivers was "laughable" and they should "put their money where their mouth is".

"If they can put us in contact with any of these drivers we would be greatly appreciative."

There were at least 200 vacancies for bus drivers in Auckland alone, he said.

"All our members in Auckland are looking for staff."

The driver shortage was a result a growing demand for urban public transport and a booming tourism sector, he said.

The lowest starting rate he knew of for a bus driver job in Auckland was about $20.50.