More frequent buses will kill stops at empty bus stops, Minister says

Buses idling at empty stops could become a frustration of the past under a government plan to axe routes and speed up traffic. But not everyone is convinced the gains are worth the losses.

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Almost half of the Adelaide bus stops to be scrapped under plans for faster and more frequent services are used by just one person each day, the Sunday Mailcan reveal.

The sweeping plans to improve traffic flow and efficiency of the public transport system are expected to prevent buses idling at empty stops along major Adelaide routes.

The State Government will tomorrow announce key changes, with the Opposition vowing to fight plans to remove about 500 bus stops throughout the network, labelling patronage numbers as rubbery.

Transport Minister Stephan Knoll spruiked plans – revealed by The Advertiser on Friday – that will give about 700,000 South Australians close access to faster, and more frequent, Go Zone bus services.

But Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas branded the changes a retrograde step, saying it was impossible to slash 500 stops without dramatically affecting people.

Statistics show more than eight in 10 (82 per cent) of stops are used by 10 people or less each day, while 46 per cent are used by just one person.

Under the new bus services contract, buses that are operating on 20 major corridors will no longer need to idle at selected stops. On average, dozens of buses remain parked for between two and four minutes daily to adhere to timetables.

Major roads included in the new rules include Dequetteville, Kensington, Port, Payneham, Main North, Prospect, Grange, Henley Beach, Belair and Unley roads, along with Anzac Hwy and The Parade.

“Soon people driving into work or home during peak hour won’t have to wait behind a bus that’s stopped on the side of the road for minutes at a time to maintain the strict bus timetable,” Mr Knoll said.

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“With a lot more bus frequency during peak, it means buses can keep going to get passengers where they need to go, fast, and help clear our busy roads.”

Mr Knoll said commuters might have to walk a bit further to a more frequent bus service, but more than 200,000 would now have a new Go Zone service close by – bringing the total to about 700,000.

Mr Malinauskas said Labor would fight public transport changes until the next election. He said cuts to stops, services and the system’s budget were the biggest in memory.

“More people in our society are going to be reliant on government services. They have decided to proceed with huge rounds of cuts to the various services people are going to rely upon,” he said.

“The community will speak for themselves. You cannot cut 500 stops out of the system without it affecting a lot of people who look to the service to get around in their daily lives and contribute productively to the economy.”

Statistics show 46 per cent of the stops to be scrapped are used by one person or less.

More than eight in ten (82 per cent) of stops are used by ten people or fewer.