Transport Canberra

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/1175198128435339264

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> 'This should be a wake-up call': calls for public transport assistance after hail storm

The weekend will be a wake-up call for the government when people with hail-affected cars are forced to use a weekend bus network which is "not up to scratch", the region's public transport lobby group says.

Chair of the Public Transport Association of Canberra, Ryan Hemsley, is calling on the government to provide "practical assistance" for people with hail-damaged cars by significantly increasing weekend services in underserved areas like the Molonglo Valley.

He is also calling on the government to require more bus drivers to work weekends. Mr Hemsley said some people with hail-affected cars would be forced to use the weekend bus network for the first time, and the government could come under extra pressure as a result.

"People are going to realise these services are not up to scratch," he said.


"[The government] has relied on the fact these services are not frequently used by most people."

Mr Hemsley said weekday services had been busier since the hail storm hit, which caused damage to more than 10,000 cars in the ACT. He said there had been long queues to access the R10 bus out of Molonglo since Tuesday.

"This should be a wake-up call for the government," he said. "The key thing is going to be finding a way we can get the frequency of the (weekend) bus network at a minimum of one an hour."

Mr Hemsley said in areas like Molonglo, people only had access to services operating every two hours within a circuitous route on weekends.

The government released an action plan to improve weekend reliability last year, which resulted in many services being temporarily cut. It is not known when these services will be reinstated.

The new network, introduced when light rail launched in April last year, created an ambitious weekend bus network. But the government was unable to operate many of the promised services, with thousands of services cancelled.

At the centre of the problem are driver workforce issues. The Transport Workers Union said the government failed to hire enough drivers before the new network launched, despite warnings there were not enough staff.

But the government said not enough drivers were volunteering to work weekend shifts.

Mr Hemsley said the government should consider outsourcing weekend services and making the EBA "fit for purpose". "At the end of the day they've got to find some way to solve the issue," he said. "It's been a long, slow process."

Transport Minister Chris Steel was asked if he would consider any of the association's proposals.

He replied: "Since the storm, we have been monitoring public transport patronage, and while there has been a small increase in passengers (3 per cent across the entire network), the network has been able to manage the additional load with no need for more services."

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/RailExpressNews/status/1227782518734282754

[verbatim9]

https://twitter.com/RailExpressNews/status/1227782518734282754

They should just go with Cubic have one system from Qld to ACT. But if you can tap on with a credit or debit card? I guess it doesn't really matter who runs the system. A person can use the same card from Qld to ACT.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/1232839387378925568

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1272926214148067328

[ozbob]

Transport Canberra

Network improvements > https://www.transport.act.gov.au/getting-around/network-improvements

On Saturday 18 July 2020 the ACT Government will introduce a significant public transport network update that addresses community feedback and makes it easier for Canberrans to avoid the peaks and spread their travel across the day.

The Network 19 update was originally due to be implemented on 28 April 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The updated network will provide 692 extra bus services each weekday – a 17.5% increase – and bring more direct routes, more frequent services and significant improvements across the network for all Canberrans.

As some Canberrans are gradually returning to work during Phase 3 of recovery, we will be implementing an improved bus system with more services on key routes to help avoid crowding. The ACT Government's advice still remains the same about public transport, which is to avoid travel in peak times. However, implementing the Network 19 update will assist in supporting those who need to use public transport. ...

[ozbob]

Old Action bus ad 1975

[verbatim9]

Wow! Every 15 mins back in 1975. That would of been unheard of here in Brisbane.

[verbatim9]

Transport Canberra---> Real-time light rail updates now available on Apple devices

[verbatim9]

The Driven--- ACT puts out call for 90 all-electric buses and charging infrastructure

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/1485773482709651457

[verbatim9]

Riotact--->https://the-riotact.com/timetable-gripes-aside-2023-is-a-year-of-innovation-for-canberras-bus-network/626702

This year will be a watershed for Canberra's public transport system, with the first batch of electric buses taking to the roads and a new ticketing system to be implemented.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/1618735536109400064

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/1619865196339806209

[ozbob]

https://x.com/Transport_CBR/status/1710556839526432850?s=20

[ozbob]

https://x.com/PT_CBR/status/1713861994049310776?s=20

[ozbob]

https://x.com/Transport_CBR/status/1716321763938963845?s=20

[ozbob]

More electric buses start zapping into Canberra

> https://www.transport.act.gov.au/news/news-and-events-items/october-2023/more-electric-buses-start-zapping-into-canberra

[RowBro]

Bike racks???  When are we getting them?

[ozbob]

PTCBR: THE LONG ROAD TO MOLONGLO

https://ptcbr.org/2024/03/06/the-long-road-to-molonglo/

Just prior to the 2020 Christmas and New Year break, a development application (DA) was lodged and notified on the ACT Government's Planning website. It was one of many DAs notified that month, but this one was special. It was for Canberra's second most significant infrastructure project after light rail – the new, high-level, dual carriageway Molonglo River Bridge.

For residents of the Molonglo Valley – Canberra's newest "greenfield" district – this was a welcome development. Since the first residents moved in eight years earlier, the only way to cross the Molonglo River west of the Tuggeranong Parkway was via the narrow, low-level and flood-prone Coppins Crossing. The delivery of the new bridge was a key commitment from ACT Labor at the 2020 ACT Election held two months earlier, and funding from the Federal Government had been announced that same month. This DA was a clear sign that the project was finally moving ahead.

Three years later, construction has officially commenced on the Molonglo River Bridge project, with completion due in December 2025. This has come as a relief to the 12,000 or so current residents of Molonglo, who have put up with multiple flood-related closures of Coppins Crossing over the intervening years. The lack of visible progress on this project had become a growing source of frustration in the local community.

For many, none of this information is new or surprising. But this article is about a different aspect of the Molonglo River Bridge project. This is about PTCBR's multi-year long efforts to hold the ACT Government accountable for their stated policy of supporting public and active transport, how part of the battle was won thanks to a Ministerial intervention, and one critical element that still hangs in the balance. ...

[ozbob]

https://x.com/Transport_CBR/status/1772428023997903068?s=20

[ozbob]

https://x.com/PT_CBR/status/1788332581462876267

[verbatim9]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/1788358806558158988?t=Akkb9sTfBzSuVypUbRPHuA&s=19

[ozbob]

https://x.com/PT_CBR/status/1831447746752200906

[ozbob]

https://x.com/ACTLabor/status/1832910156176437341

[ozbob]

https://x.com/Transport_CBR/status/1836908646954877182

[Gazza]

Holy crap, its the thin end of the wedge isnt it.
Who would have thought Australia would be the place where free or ultra low cost PT becomes the norm.

[ozbob]

https://x.com/Transport_CBR/status/1856909408904908859

[SurfRail]

I find it staggering that there is still no clarity up here about whether you can get a virtual "Translink card" instead of having to use a chip card or a virtual equivalent.