Protest over West Coast to Hobart bus service change

A petition has started to overturn a cut to bus services that has turned a return trip to Hobart into an expensive four-day exercise.

Protest is growing over a change to bus services from the West Coast to Hobart which have turned a return trip to the capital into a four-day affair complete with overnight stays in Burnie or Devonport.

A PETITION has started in a bid to overturn a cut to bus services between Strahan, Queenstown and Hobart that has turned a return trip to Hobart into an expensive four-day exercise.

The petition tells the government the change, which means it now takes 23 hours or more to get from the West Coast to the state’s capital via Burnie and Launceston.

The trip would also involve at least one overnight stay on the North-West Coast.

The petition says the change was further isolating residents and deterring potential visitors from undertaking the trip.

FREE ANGST OVER REGIONAL BUS SERVICE CHANGES

The discontinued Tassielink service, which offered a three-day-a-week service directly from the West Coast to Hobart via the Derwent Valley stopped operating on March 10.

“Little to no consultation was offered to users of the service with the clear majority of residents became aware less than a fortnight before the service ended,” the petition to Tasmanian parliament says.

“The replacement service offered by the Department of State Growth requires a one-way journey in excess of 30 hours of travel, an initial cost of $80 and a minimum one overnight stay in Burnie or Devonport.”

A return trip from Queenstown to Hobart is now a four-day affair, including overnight stays in Burnie or Devonport.

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It says the reduction in tourism would hurt local businesses and damage the West Coast’s ability to offer tourist and work opportunities.

In February, the department said it would review the service changes before they were implemented.

On Wednesday, it said that review confirmed that the very low patronage numbers (as few as one to three people a trip, or less than 10 a week) could not justify the taxpayer cost of running the service.

“Improving services overall means removing some services which are unviable,” a spokesman said.

“In deciding the changes, the West Coast community told us that most people who travel from the West Coast to Hobart did so for exceptional reasons and would not use the previous service for this purpose, and that the timings provided no benefit to the local community or tourism businesses.

“The changes were endorsed by the West Coast Council, and private operators already cater to tourists.

“The changes also reflect calls for regular services between the West Coast and Burnie to access healthcare and other services, which is now catered for with a seven-day-a-week service.”

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