Article: Bus service under fire

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From the Queensland Times click here!

Bus service under fire

Bus service under fire

Peter Foley | 9th May 2009

Damian Dunlop

SOUTH-EAST Queenslanders have chalked up a public transport record but Ipswich has plenty of catching up to do especially with its buses.

TransLink chief executive Peter Strachan said more people in the south-east used public transport last month than ever before.

?Record numbers of people continue to use public transport and the go card, which is really encouraging,? Mr Strachan said.

?People are making the switch to public transport for a variety of reasons including saving money and the environment.?

However, Transport Minister Rachel Nolan said more people in Ipswich meant more pressure to improve public transport.

?It's no secret that Ipswich needs more and better public transport in order to keep pace with the growth in population and transport demand,? Ms Nolan said.

?I've said many times that my goal is to deliver a better public transport system to Ipswich. A lot has been done in relation to trains but there is plenty to be done in relation to buses.

?There is no doubt more people are catching the train. I catch the train and it's just as crowded even though there are five more trains on the Ipswich line in the past six months.?

The attractiveness of rail over road was proven yesterday when a crash involving three cars and a truck on the motorway plugged traffic.

But while the Ipswich rail line was becoming more attractive, the city's bus service was badly in need of repair.

?We've all seen the recent figures which showed the western region is one of the worst performing areas in south-east Queensland in terms of bus on-time running,? Ms Nolan said.

?To some extent the Hail 'n' Ride service contributes to that as it tends to mess up the timetable.

?I'll be talking to TransLink about what can be done with buses to match some of the improvements we've seen on the trains.?

Gary Fites from the RACQ said the key was the balance between road transport and pubic transport.

?For Ipswich, we have to make darned sure we have that motorway upgrade done as soon as possible,? Mr Fites said.
BUS NEEDS

? Dedicated bus stops in the right areas.

? A review of the routes to be sure they're in the right places for customers.