A new report from the City of Guelph says city bus drivers are abusing the overtime system, but the union representing Guelph Transit employees says the real problem is that the city hasn't hired enough drivers to keep pace with transit expansion.

An overtime audit conducted by city officials reveal that overtime costs for city employees will total an estimated $5 million in 2013.

Coun. Cam Guthrie says when he first read the report, he was amazed by the numbers.

“As a councillor, I was very concerned,” he tells CTV News.

“As a taxpayer, I was livid. It’s exposed a sense of entitlement.”

Ann Pappert, the city’s CAO, says she wants to develop consistent overtime policies for all departments and hopes that could help reduce the costs.

“What we’re talking about is taking the budget line to zero and building it back again when people presents business cases for its use,” she says.

City officials point to Guelph Transit as one of the biggest overtime offenders, with transit overtime accounting for about $1 million this year.

Specifically, Pappert points to a daily average of 25 per cent absenteeism among transit employees as something that needs to be changed.

The audit says issues around overtime and attendance among transit drivers are “unacceptable”, with some employees calling in sick up to 50 days per year.

Also noted are increases in sick calls on days around holidays.

“There seems to be a methodology that is being used here to use the system to their advantage, and it must stop,” says Guthrie.

“We might have a fight on our hands with this, but we’re going to fight for the taxpayer.”

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1189, which represents Guelph Transit employees, says the bigger issue is that there aren’t enough workers to fill in when drivers call in sick, leaving the agency no choice but to bring in full-time drivers on overtime.

“We have not hired enough employees over the last year and a half to accommodate the new transit growth strategy,” says union president Andrew Cleary.

“We are being worked to the fullest by doing all this overtime – that then creates absenteeism when we’re sick and tired of being able to perform the job.”

Guthrie says councillors would be willing to look at any business plan suggesting money could be saved by hiring more drivers.