Page 4590 - Week 12 - Thursday, 15 October 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Normal fares apply for passengers who bring a fold-up bike onto the bus and bikes must be secured in the folded position prior to boarding the bus and stored in the luggage rack.
The government is redesigning the bus interchanges to provide a better waiting and boarding experience for ACTION’s customers by integrating interchanges with other public spaces such as shopping centres. As part of the Belconnen town centre redevelopment, the Belconnen bus interchange has now been demolished. New bus stations have been installed at three locations and all bus routes through the Belconnen town centre now service the three bus stations for customers.
The new ACTION smartcard system will utilise the latest ticketing technology, with equipment supplied by Parkeon—formerly Wayfarer—the provider of the current ticket system. The new system represents a significant advancement in ticketing technology which will provide many benefits to passengers and ACTION.
The benefits include: passengers will be able to conveniently recharge their smartcards by direct debit, BPay, over the internet or by phone to keep their value topped up; passengers will receive a discount on their fares when they use these top-up methods; passengers will pay the lowest fare of the day, with free travel for frequent users of the service based on monthly fare caps; quicker boarding times, making boarding easier and the bus service more timely and efficient; significantly improved patronage data, including details of where passengers get on and off the bus and the number of passengers on a bus at any time; using this data, planning of bus routes and timetables will be enhanced, allowing ACTION to better deliver services at times and places where they are most needed; and reports on adherence to bus timetables.
The new ticketing system is scheduled to be implemented in the second half of next year. There are many tasks to be completed before the system can be introduced. These include the design of the system to accommodate Canberra’s fare arrangements, the supply and distribution of smartcards, the appointment of agents to provide “load value” services, driver training, and the supply and installation of equipment across the ACTION fleet, in the call centre and in the “back office”.
Bus users will be required to tag-on and tag-off buses, which will significantly improve ACTION’s capacity to monitor passenger trends and make adjustments to meet changes in demand. There will be a customer education program to inform the community about the benefits and operation of the new system. Trials will be conducted before the system goes live. The new smartcard system is an important part of the government’s investment in developing a more efficient and user-friendly bus service.
A number of the recommendations made by the committee emphasised the need to advance the goals set out in the sustainable transport plan and sought assurance that the government is committed to doing so. I take this opportunity to restate the government’s commitment to the targets we set for ourselves in the sustainable transport plan to help us increase the percentage of people using sustainable transport, like public transport, walking and cycling, in the future.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .