Elderly North Adelaide residents calling for proposed cuts to City Connector to be scrapped

North Adelaide residents are lobbying the State Government to abandon its plan to axe stops on the free City Connector bus route, saying the move would leave them stranded.

Helping Hand residents Yvonne Windsor, 86, Elaine Barker, 86, and Anita Lange, 70 want the bus to stay in North Adelaide. Picture: Matt Loxton

• Future of City Connector bus route under a cloud in a bid to improve the city’s public transport
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Older North Adelaide residents are calling on the State Government to reconsider proposed cuts to the free City Connector bus amid fears they will be left stranded.

About 100 residents, mostly from Helping Hand Aged Care on Buxton St, have signed a petition lobbying Transport Minister Stephan Knoll to abandon his plan to cut 35 of the 65 stops along the bus route.

The service – a partnership between the government and Adelaide City Council – is currently suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The petition comes as North Adelaide ward councillor Philip Martin plans to ask the council to reinstate the service, using its own funds and buses, until the government agrees to lift the suspension.

Helping Hand resident Peter Knight. Picture: Matt Loxton

Helping Hand Aged Care resident Peter Knight said removing stops from the western part of North Adelaide would disadvantage residents who relied on public transport to get around.

“The connector bus should stay as it has been because it is well used,” Mr Knight, 83, said.

“You have elderly and retired people living here who don’t have a car, but need a bus like the Connector.”

Last month, The Advertiser reported that many of the 35 stops the government proposed to cut would be in North Adelaide

Stops would also be removed from King William St and North Tce, which is serviced by the free tram.

The South Australian Public Transport Authority’s proposed City Connector route.

Adelaide City Council's proposed City Connector route.

Under the State Government’s proposed changes, the cost to run the service, which is used by up to 18,000 people each week, would drop from $923,000 to $630,000.

Cr Martin said the bus was valued across North Adelaide and had to be retained.

“Some of the most popular stops have been simply removed, like Buxton St stops which are essential, and Jerningham St which is among the most popular, if not the most popular stop on the entire route, has been abandoned by the government,” Cr Martin said.

Transport Minister Stephan Knoll said the bus was “very important” to connect the people of North Adelaide with the broader community.

“The residents of North Adelaide are our key concern when it comes to this,” Mr Knoll said.

When running, the service operates in a loop covering North Adelaide with a 30-minute frequency in each direction, and in the city it runs every 15 minutes.