Regional Queensland public transport

[ozbob]

The Chronicle --> My verdict on Toowoomba public transport

WE'RE up to week three of our public transport campaign and have so far looked at the effect of the current system on CBD businesses and on pensioners, but it was time to climb aboard myself.

Living on acreage to the city's north means I don't really have any opportunity to use the four services that travel through Cabarlah each day.

The earliest bus arrives after I start work and the latest departs town at 5.10pm, which is cutting it a little fine if I were delayed.

So for my first foray into trying the city's public transport I started at Toowoomba Plaza, a good distance from my destination, The Chronicle office in Neil St.

Having no idea what I was doing, I asked the friendly bus driver on the number five service if this was a suitable way to get where I was going and she suggested I jump off at the Hooper Centre, which is only a short walk from the office.

I paid $2.70, pretty similar to the price of half a day's parking.

All-day parking spaces in Neil St currently come in at $5, but I can't finish the last chapter of my book while driving, so I can see the benefit of letting a bus driver take the reins.

We were driving out of the plaza car park by 10.02am to set out on a winding path around Centenary Heights.

I was surprised by the level of patronage after expecting a lonesome ride with a couple of other travellers.

Only three of us got on at the plaza, but eight more people got on at the next stop and at least one at nearly every other stop.

The packed bus pulled into the Hooper Centre about 20 minutes later, where I struck up a chat with fellow transport user Leanne Snep, who said she found the service easy and useful.

Mrs Snep's husband takes their car each day, so she occasionally uses the bus system to get around and plans to start using it to get to uni next week.

She worked out that the bus leaving from her nearest bus stop in Hume St would depart around 8.10am and decant her at the university by 8.45am, just in time for her 9am class.

After about 20 trips, she feels the service is good, but can present problems for commuting workers because of limited timetabling.

The service I rode on departs hourly, so you wouldn't want to miss it or you would be late to work.

It also depends when you need to get where you're going, with some services starting as early as 6.30am and others not starting up until about 8am, when I tend to be already sitting at my work desk going through emails.

The number five service would be cutting it fine for me if I travelled this route for a daily commute as the first service for the day doesn't leave Toowoomba Plaza until 7.45am.

The alternative would be the earlier-starting number four service, which I would have to take as close as I could get to the intersection of James and Ruthven Sts, with a slightly longer walk to the office.

All in all, I think if I lived anywhere in the main part of Toowoomba I would actually be tempted to leave my car at home, save the mileage and enjoy 20-odd minutes to get my mind in order for the day while someone else does the driving, at the very least on days when I didn't need to get an earlier start than usual.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Last best hope for LNP in north Queensland

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