Article: Lack of numbers adds up to failure in bus route trial

[Fares_Fair]

Article: Lack of numbers adds up to failure in bus route trial
Sunshine Coast Daily
5th Nov 2012 8:16 AM

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/bus-trial-fails-to-attract-enough-passengers/1608831/

A TRIAL bus run between Coolum and Nambour will cease on November 18 because of poor patronage.

The trial of the run offered four return trips a day, seven days a week, to reduce travel times and the need for passengers to change buses.

But an average of just five people per trip used the service.

That was not enough to meet TransLink guidelines of the 14 passengers a trip needed to make a service permanent.

Passengers currently using the service have been encouraged to continue doing so until November 18 but make alternative arrangements for travel after that date.

Visit the journey planner on TransLink's website to plan your journey ahead of time, or call 13 12 30 anytime.

>> What bus routes would you like to see on the Sunshine Coast. Leave your comment below. (newspaper website that is)

[Arnz]

Considering the council/TL wasn't listening to the residents during the planning process, I'm not that surprised.

IMO, it would have been easier to reschedule/re-time the 612 and 622 so they meet up at Bli Bli.  Either a pedestrian crossing (or traffic light), along with the stock standard TL bus shelters for the passenger to cross David Low Way for their (re-timed/rescheduled) connection between the 612 and 622 buses, which both run on a hourly frequency, may possibly have been cheaper than running a infrequent cross-town trial for a few months.

[#Metro]

Trials should at least be 6 months to a year to be valid IMO.

[somebody]

14 pax/trip doesn't justify a route entering the CBD IMO.

[Jonno]

4 services a day is a great way to ensure no one catches it. Frequency is king!!

[HappyTrainGuy]

14 people to make it a perminate route... Holy crap how many people must be catching the 314 then!!! 

Also explains why so many routes on the northside are so long and scenic and instantly cut out as the sun sets then. The 328 would be struggling big time to get 14 people on it per trip; thats 100% for sure.

[somebody]

14 people to make it a perminate route... Holy cr%p how many people must be catching the 314 then!!! 

Also explains why so many routes on the northside are so long and scenic and instantly cut out as the sun sets then. The 328 would be struggling big time to get 14 people on it per trip; thats 100% for sure.

Good point.  Boardings/sevice-km is a better measure than boardings/trip.

[SurfRail]

If you can't run it at least hourly, don't bother.

[Jonno]

If you can't run it at least hourly, don't bother.

Hourly is not going to be much better.  It need to be min 30 mins, 15 mins preferrably.  The trips arebeing made but 95-99% by car

[SurfRail]

If you can't run it at least hourly, don't bother.

Hourly is not going to be much better.  It need to be min 30 mins, 15 mins preferrably.  The trips arebeing made but 95-99% by car

Running a route like the 623 at more than hourly intervals while so many other routes on the Coast are at the same or lower headways would be criminal.

At the moment, the Sunshine Coast network is a coverage system operated with around 90-100 buses.  That number could be doubled without significant extra expense - $45-50m for acquisition costs for new buses, plus only marginal expense to run them.  Maybe the Public Transport Levy could be raised to say $40.00 per property to help fund it.

[Arnz]

The SC bus network has only 3 trunk routes of note.

Route 600 (every 15 mins from 6am - 7pm then half hourly till 9:30pm), Route 620 (every 30 minutes 6am-9pm) with both routes have late night runs till 3am on Friday and Saturday, and Route 610 (every 30 mins 6am-7pm and hourly on weekends).

Apart from the obvious for 610 and 620s, other routes that operate on half-hourly as of current have potential for upgrade to 15 minutes.  Route 616 (University and Buderim to Maroochydore), and merging the Route 626/627.  The 626 terminus at Edd Web Park would be the loser in a 626/627 merger.  An easy fix is that Edd Webb Park could easily be tacked onto a 628 or 629.

[Jonno]

The SC bus network has only 3 trunk routes of note.

Route 600 (every 15 mins from 6am - 7pm then half hourly till 9:30pm), Route 620 (every 30 minutes 6am-9pm) with both routes have late night runs till 3am on Friday and Saturday, and Route 610 (every 30 mins 6am-7pm and hourly on weekends).

Apart from the obvious for 610 and 620s, other routes that operate on half-hourly as of current have potential for upgrade to 15 minutes.  Route 616 (University and Buderim to Maroochydore), and merging the Route 626/627.  The 626 terminus at Edd Web Park would be the loser in a 626/627 merger.  An easy fix is that Edd Webb Park could easily be tacked onto a 628 or 629.

Which probably explains their PT mode share is in the single low digits!!!!