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I was at the bus stop recently – cross referencing the printed timetable with the one displayed on my Public Transport Victoria (PTV) app – when an older gentleman kindly pointed out, “I wouldn’t always believe what you read on those things”. I had meticulously planned on using this route to get to dinner with the girls one Friday night after consulting a list of possible options - bus, tram and bus, or train and tram – and deciding this was the easiest and most direct. Cycling was out of the question as I am still to invest in a decent set of lights for night riding, and I prefer to use the car on an as needed basis – particularly as my parking skills are a bit rusty and…
Public transport fares may become more affordable, especially for those using more than one mode of transport, in New South Wales from July this year. The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) released its draft report on NSW fare changes recently. The proposed changes mean more than 60 per cent of passengers will pay less next year for using rail, bus, ferry and light rail services, and make it more affordable to use more than one mode to reach their destination. IPART chairman Dr Peter Boxall says the proposals are designed to deliver a fairer structure of fares, while ensuring fares still cover about 20 per cent of the $6 billion it currently costs to provide public transport in NSW. “The package we’re proposing would make public transport fares more…
Bus customers will experience delays in the afternoon peak as one of Sydney’s busiest bus lanes is opened up to general traffic during NorthConnex construction, the New South Wales Government announced recently. Work will start to build an extra lane of traffic on the Hills M2 between Pennant Hills Road and Windsor Road on February 6. NorthConnex will provide a new link for motorists travelling between western Sydney and the NSW central coast, carrying more than 100,000 vehicles each day and will remove around 5000 trucks from the congested Pennant Hills Road corridor. Additional travel time has already been built into timetables for Hillsbus M2 services in October last year in preparation for major work in the CBD and NorthConnex.…
The bus industry will have the ear of New South Wales minister for transport and infrastructure Andrew Constance during the two-day 2016 BusNSW Member Conference, which kicks off on April 14 in Wollongong. With more than 200 delegates expected, this year’s conference will focus on sharing solutions and the need for bus operators and suppliers to continually review business models and strive for excellence. “New rural and regional contracts which are scheduled to commence just prior to the conference on April 1, 2016 and the renewal of outer-metropolitan contracts with incumbent operators are likely to feature,” BusNSW executive director Darryl Mellish says. “The outer-metropolitan operators are looking for certainty to support their large-scale investments on the back of strong performance under current short term metro-style contracts that were benchmarked to…
Queensland bus users can now track their journey stop-by-stop and get audio announcements via the updated MyTransLink smartphone app. Passengers can receive real-time audible announcements of upcoming stops and stations, which should be especially useful for those with impaired vision or who are new to public transport. Queensland minister for transport Stirling Hinchliffe says the release of the new real-time trip announcer feature should help South East Queensland and Cairns public transport users to use the network more easily. Hinchcliffe says the upgrade is a game-changer for public transport passengers who have a vision impairment, but it will also benefit anyone who isn’t sure when to press the bell to get off. He says with real-time information in the palm of your hand you’ll always know where you are, especially…
A 40km/h speed limit in Sydney’s CBD will be extended to cover more of the city in an effort to curb pedestrian fatalities, the New South Wales Government announced recently. The expanded zone incorporates the full light-rail construction work area, as well as the new bus routes, and comes into effect in April. NSW minister for roads Duncan Gay says for less than an extra minute of travel time for motorists, the chance of survival for pedestrians in Sydney’s CBD is being doubled. In the past 10 years there have been 12 tragic deaths and more than 1400 injuries within this new larger speed zoned area. Partial speed limits were introduced in the city in September last year to improve pedestrian safety and allow for the start of light-rail construction.…
