Bayside Council free commuter bus: shuttle service scrapped due to lack of passengers
Bayside Council’s dismal foray into public transport is over after council officers reported it was not uncommon to have no passengers on a bus for an entire route.
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Bayside Council’s dismal foray into public transport is over after council officers reported it was not uncommon to have no passengers on a bus for an entire route.
Councillors have now voted to scrap the controversial free commuter shuttle bus trial.
The six-month trial was launched last October as a potential solution to ease parking woes at Middle Brighton station.
COUNCIL TO TRIAL FREE BUS SERVICE
ANOTHER MID-CENTURY MODERNIST HOME BULLDOZED
At peak times, commuters were able to catch either of the two
12-seater mini buses at 15 stops scattered across the Brighton.
However, lacklustre usage and ballooning costs have combined to send the trial to an early grave.
According to the officer’s report, the average number of daily users on each of the morning routes did not exceed 10 passengers.
The afternoon routes fared only slightly better, with 15.6 average passengers on route 1 and 15.4 on route 2.
The council also surveyed passengers on each of the routes, with just 33.3 per cent saying they had previously driven to the station.
Passengers were also surveyed on how likely they were to use the service if was made permanent.
Just over a quarter said it was “very likely”, compared to 41.2 per cent who said they would be “very unlikely”.
The trial has almost chewed through its entire $60,000 budget after only three months — so far the council has sunk $53,200 into the service, not including officers’ time to establish it.
Officers forecast the service would have swallowed another $38,000 of ratepayer cash — not including fuel or officer time
— had the six-month trial been completed.
The maligned service also copped flack from residents who had bus stops placed in front of their homes.
Anti-Shuttle Bus Action Group spokesman Ian Armstrong said he was pleased the trial would finish early.
“Residents believe our rate money can be used more productively on other projects,” he said.
Bayside mayor Michael Heffernan said the council would continue to advocate for more commuter parking.
Council officers originally advised against the trial but all councillors bar Laurie Evans and Clarke Martin voted the other way.
The trial will cease on March 8.
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