Page 1751 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 15 May 2019
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public transport to create a truly integrated seven-day-a-week network to keep Canberra connected.
Some key features of the new network I would like to outline include: 10 rapid routes served by high frequency bus or light rail services running for extended hours every day of the week; a well-connected local bus network designed to get customers where they need to go within their community, including to local shops and schools as well as town centres and key transport interchanges where they can connect with rapid services for longer trips; and 223 dedicated school bus services each school day as well as other services for particular groups of customers, such as the Bruce shuttle, the AMC shuttle and peak bus services between the city, Barton and south Tuggeranong.
We acknowledge that for many existing users of public transport there has been a big change, and I thank the community for their patience as we bed down the new network and iron out any issues passengers are experiencing. Of course, change takes time to adjust to. We have received a lot of feedback from the community, and we are taking much of this feedback on board. I note that all the articles those opposite have referenced were in the first week, and we certainly acknowledge the first week of a new network will bring these issues to light. I am confident that Transport Canberra have responded to them well.
I am pleased that many Canberrans have embraced the new network. In the first two weeks of operation we have seen record numbers of users, no matter which way you look at it, whether you measure it by boardings or individual trips or the numbers of MyWay cards in circulation. Each day we hear from new and existing users that the new network has given them more options and that they are now using public transport more and in some cases using public transport for the first time.
As we know and have debated previously in this place, to design a network that better meets the changing needs of Canberrans and the growing city that we live in the government undertook extensive consultation with the community about what services they wanted. This included an initial phase of community engagement in 2018 during which Transport Canberra officials spoke directly to the community about why and how Canberra’s public transport network is changing, including the introduction of more rapid routes. In that consultation the community told us it wanted more direct routes, more frequent and reliable services, and increased services at peak and off-peak times, such as during the evening and on weekends.
The second phase of consultation took place between June and August 2018, and focused on getting practical feedback from Canberrans about the detailed route proposals for the new bus network. During this consultation period the government released extensive information to help Canberrans understand the proposed changes, including maps of rapid and local services, city-wide information on a district-by-district basis including regional maps and indicative frequencies for each rapid and local service, and information for each individual schools to help parents, students and schools understand how they can use the new public transport network. I am pleased that so many Canberrans engaged, as has been noted, with over 13,000 pieces of feedback.
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