Page 2328 - Week 06 - Thursday, 6 June 2019

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(3) Will the Government consider the continuation of bus routes 846 and 818 to better support families in the Ginninderra Electorate who choose to send their children to independent schools in South Canberra.

Ms Fitzharris: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:

(1) Average daily boardings for routes 846 and 818 are provided in the table below:

(2) Routes 846 and 818 provided a connection between the Belconnen Town Centre and Canberra Grammar School, Canberra Girls Grammar School, St Edmund’s College and St Clare’s College. Route 846 operated from Belconnen to these schools in the morning, while route 818 operated from the schools to Belconnen in the afternoon.

Over 75% of students that used route 846 boarded the service at the Cohen Street Interchange during the 2018 school year. Additionally, some students in Macquarie, Cook and Aranda used these routes, with others boarding outside the Ginninderra electorate, in suburbs such as Red Hill.

From the Cohen Street Interchange, students can now catch the Rapid 2, Rapid 3 or Rapid 4 to the City, and change to route 1015 school bus to all four Canberra Grammar and Canberra Girls Grammar campuses. The travel time for this journey is between 48 and 60 minutes, depending on which school students are travelling to, compared with between 32 and 40 minutes for route 846.

If students are travelling from Aranda, Cook or Macquarie, they could catch route 32 service to the City to catch route 1015 school bus.

From the Cohen Street Interchange, students can catch the Rapid 2 service directly to St Edmund’s College and St Clare’s College. Two Rapid 2 trips each morning and two Rapid 2 trips each afternoon on school days divert close to St Edmund’s College and St Clare’s College, stopping outside the schools on MacMillan Crescent. The travel time for these services is 50 minutes in the morning and 59 minutes in the afternoon between Cohen Street Interchange and MacMillan Crescent, compared with 45 minutes in the morning for route 846 and 47 minutes in the afternoon for route 818.

If students are travelling from Aranda, Cook or Macquarie, they could catch route 32 service to the City and change to the Rapid 2 service that diverts to the school.

(3) The Government has no plans to make major network changes at this time. The new integrated public transport network commenced on 29 April 2019. Minor services adjustments, particularly relating to route capacity issues, have been made in the network based on initial operational experience. The Government has committed to an annual review of services for school students, in consultation with schools and in the context of its Provision of Dedicated School Bus Services Policy. The first review is expected to commence in 2020.

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