B-Line buses prove to be popular with commuters, as motorists say there’s not enough carpark spaces
IS IT a victim of its own success? B-Line bus bosses say the service is extremely popular, as commuters complain about a lack of spaces in the park and ride carparks.
Manly
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A REPORT card on the new B-Line bus service has found it is extremely popular, with more than 2.7 million passenger trips clocked up in the first six months.
State Transit CEO Steffen Faurby said there had been a 4.6 per cent increase from last year of people using buses on the B-Line corridor.
And 10 per cent more people were now travelling to the city in the evening peak between 3pm and 8pm.
However, commuters at Brookvale had mixed feelings about the B-Line, with many saying buses were full by the time they reached Warringah Mall in the mornings, with motorists wanting to park and ride struggling to find spaces.
When the Manly Daily went to the 250-space B-Line carpark at Brookvale on a Thursday morning there were only 10 spaces left at 8.10am. By 9am they had all gone. On a Friday morning there were a dozen spots left at 8am and four spots available at 9am.
Commuter Evan Matthews, 23, of Curl Curl, said he only attempted to park at the B-Line carpark on a Friday.
“It’s OK to park on a Friday because people don’t drive. They go for drinks after work,” he said.
“If you tried to park here after 7.40am on any other day, it’s a different story.
“There’s not enough spaces. I sometimes have to park in William St.”
He said the B-Line was pretty good but often the buses were full by the time they got to Warringah Mall in the morning.
“Some people get frustrated but they’re pretty frequent and the next one is normally fine,” Mr Matthews said.
Sebastian Williams, 33, of Dee Why, said he often spent up to 20 minutes finding somewhere to park around Brookvale.
“I only park here on Fridays as it’s the only day I can find a spot,” he said.
“The rest of the week I park in William St but it can take up to 20 minutes to find a space.”
Commuter Sandra Lindberg, 25, of Narrabeen, said she drove to Brookvale to park and aimed to arrive by 8am to get a spot.
“The B-Line is fine but it’s no quicker than the L90,” she said.
A further 150 commuter carpark spaces will be opened at Warriewood in July to add to the 100 now available, while 150 spaces will be opened at Manly Vale in late 2018.
Other park-and-ride spots are at Dee Why with 120 spaces, Narrabeen with 40 and Mona Vale providing 74.
State MP for Manly MP James Griffin said the 38 yellow and blue B-Line buses that travelled from Mona Vale to Wynyard had clearly become a firm favourite among northern beaches locals and visitors since they were launched on November 26 last year. He said feedback had been overwhelmingly positive.
“While the new buses make up just 10 per cent of the bus fleet on the northern beaches, they are carrying more than 26 per cent of customers,” Mr Griffin said.
“This is testament to the popularity and success of the road-based, public transport service.
“The B-Line has provided greater connections from the northern beaches and Sydney’s CBD with regular services every five minutes during peak times in the peak direction and every 10 minutes at other times of the day, both easing the busy workday commute and making it easier for people travelling between peaks or at night.”
Mr Griffin said the northern beaches was one of the first locations in the state to pilot the Opal-integrated technology allowing commuters to park for free if they went on to use public transport.
“It is great to see a strong take-up from commuters,” he said.
This month another 1000 services a week were added to the 3200 added in November.