Transport Canberra

[SurfRail]

So we shouldn't have any public buses to any airports without open tenders or full cost recovery?  What difference is there between an airport and any other civic facility for that matter?

You are grabbing desperately at straws.  The NCP has nothing to do with a state or territory government deciding to extend its public transport network.  Numerous cases in Queensland prove that an operator is not entitled to compensation for losing its market to subsidised transport services - Coachtrans vs QR is the most notable one.

[#Metro]

Well, we shall see. I hope they make a complaint.

[SurfRail]

Your position is perverse.

I hope the new service succeeds.  It's better for passengers - cheaper fares, accessible buses, higher frequency than the private sector was willing to provide,  and likely a better ride quality than a minibus will offer.

[Stillwater]

??

[#Metro]

Your position is perverse.

I hope the new service succeeds.  It's better for passengers - cheaper fares, accessible buses, higher frequency than the private sector was willing to provide,  and likely a better ride quality than a minibus will offer.

I have nothing against improved services - indeed if the current bus operator was given government subsidies and integrated with MyWay I am sure they could improve services too. For example, Gold Coast Surfside buslines receives subsidies and is private. They even serve Gold Coast airport with decent services (bus route 777).

https://jp.translink.com.au/plan-your-journey/timetables/bus/t/777

So I don't agree with you there.

The ACT have introduced a welcome service but they have done it in an improper way IMHO.

[SurfRail]

Whatever.

[#Metro]

I looked up the Coachtrans vs QR case on AustLii.

Sita Qld Pty Ltd v Queensland [2000] FCA 1616 (13 November 2000)
http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/cth/FCA/2000/1616.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=Coachtrans

It is a very thick and complicated text.

However, unless I am reading this incorrectly (entirely possible - I'm not an expert) the applicant (Coachtrans) was dismissed ... but there was a $4,896,214.60 damages payment involved.

[SurfRail]

Damages were solely related to subsidy foregone as a consequence of a deal alleged to have been struck - nothing to do with loss of profitability.  It effectively had nothing to do with competition issues.

There is another Federal Court case that plumbs the competition argument - frequent use of the word "embarrassing" in relation to the bus operator's pleadings.

I don't get why a better outcome for passengers is less important for you than the protection of a company taking advantage of a monopoly due to its arrangement with the other great monopoly operator in Canberra, the Snows who own the airport.

http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/cth/FCA/1999/793.html

[#Metro]

I don't get why a better outcome for passengers is less important for you than the protection of a company taking advantage of a monopoly due to its arrangement with the other great monopoly operator in Canberra, the Snows who own the airport.

http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/cth/FCA/1999/793.html

Not about protection. It is called 'neutrality' for a reason. Might want to reflect on that...

[SurfRail]

I don't care what the NCP says because application of it (on your terms) produces an absurd result for the travelling public.  Have you actually even looked at the current operator's timetable?  Clear case of market failure.

There is a reason why community service obligations are accommodated.  You should reflect on THAT.

Applying your logic would (contrary to numerous cases and interpretive decisions) have resulted in the Queensland Government having had to compensate Sita just for opening the Gold Coast line.  Madness!

[#Metro]

If private operator given the same subsidies, they would provide the same service levels, just like Surfside Buslines does with their bus to Coolangatta airport. So it is nothing to do with "better service levels" or CSO as you are trying to imply.

You are welcome to disagree with me, but in any case, it will be interesting to see if now goes to the ACT regulator for review.

[SurfRail]

ACTION already run to the airport anyway, they are literally adding about 300m to existing Route 11 trips and adding some additional workings.  Quite literally nothing stops the operator from continuing to provide a non-stop service or a service which conveys people to hotels, which ACTION is not proposing to do.

You have an extremely limited understanding of how competition law and policy works - the most fundamental seems to be that you have no idea how to delimit what the market actually is, nor how the CSO exemptions actually operate (to the extent those are even relevant - here they probably aren't as we are dealing with 2 separate products). 

I'm done dealing with this.

[#Metro]

You have an extremely limited understanding of how competition law and policy works - the most fundamental seems to be that you have no idea how to delimit what the market actually is, nor how the CSO exemptions actually operate (to the extent those are even relevant - here they probably aren't as we are dealing with 2 separate products). 

Two lawyers can sit in a court room with the same legislation and argue equal and opposite cases before a judge.

I have no doubt that they are both "experts".

I have never claimed that I am an expert, and I'm sure that much is obvious.

I don't think I have much more to add.

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> Roadworks blamed for Canberra buses not running on time

Transport Canberra has blamed roadworks for nearly a quarter of buses failing to run on time.

Latest data from the end of March shows 24.7 per cent of services were late compared with 16.24 per cent in the first week of January.

A service is considered on time when departing a nominated point within one minute early and four minutes later than scheduled.

Each weekday almost 22,000 times are noted and in 2015-16 there were more than six million records made.

"While a bus may start and end a route on time, some of the timing points in between may not be met, affecting our on-time measurements," a Transport Canberra spokesman said.

"A few factors have contributed to the network punctuality outcome, including roadworks under way throughout Canberra and the way we measure on-time running.

"Transport Canberra is monitoring network delays due to roadworks, and where possible will recalibrate its timetable to reflect actual bus travel times.

"Early running is now at its lowest point of 5.78 per cent. This is important because for our customers it is generally worse that a bus leaves early than slightly late.

"If a bus leaves early there is an increased chance our passengers might miss that bus."

Other performance indicators were mostly positive. More people were using MyWay cards, new routes were attracting strong patronage and overall passenger numbers climbed.

"Investment in new buses and services, such as the new airport service, will help to attract more people to public transport in Canberra," the spokesman said.

"MyWay cards provide a discount compared to paying for a cash ticket. The cards also provide a very useful source of passenger movement data to Transport Canberra, allowing us to plan our network more effectively.

"In 2017 we are seeing close to 90 per cent of all passenger boardings being made with a MyWay card."

Overall fare revenue showed annual growth of between 3.5 and 4 per cent, reaching $23.118 million in 2015-16.

The spokesman said patronage on the new Weston line had doubled since it was introduced in August 2016.

The Free City Loop service introduced in July 2016 has recorded more than 70,000 boardings.

The Red Rapid series carried more than 190,000 passengers in March 2017, an increase from 156,000 in March 2016.

Public transport advocate David Johnston said the latest performance data was encouraging.

"The high use of MyWay combined with the well-overdue change to allow rear door exit at all stops on all services will increase the efficiency of bus services and should be good for ridership," he said.

"These numbers show that improvements can be made to our public transport to increase ridership without spending billions on light rail.

"However it is very disappointing to see the latest numbers on punctuality, with less than 70 per cent of services running on time and nearly 25 per cent of services running late.

"These numbers need to be addressed by Transport Canberra if it is serious about reliability and increasing passenger numbers."

Mr Johnston welcomed the recent introduction of an airport bus service.

"However, more improvements to the network are needed to make public transport attractive to more people," he said.

"Better planning is needed to have good connecting services and key services such as the Blue Rapid should run later especially on Friday and Saturday nights."

[verbatim9]

Some snap shots around Belconnen today and on the Bus

[verbatim9]

Some more pics below

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> What changes are there to the ACT's bus timetable from October?

Two new rapid bus services will begin in October, along with a raft of other changes to the ACT's ACTION bus timetable.

From October 7, buses will no longer stop at platforms 10 and 11 at the City Bus Station, to make way for works on Northbourne Plaza. The new Dickson Interchange will also open on this date.

A green rapid bus will start running on weekdays at least every 15 minutes between 7am-7pm from Civic to Woden, via Griffith, Manuka and Kingston.

A new black rapid will run on weekends at least every 15 minutes from 7am-7pm between Gungahlin and Belconnen.

Passengers can travel for free on the black and green rapids for the first two months of service, to encourage more people to try Canberra's public transport network.

The blue rapid service will be tightened up to ensure the Wanniassa park and ride is serviced seven days a week while a red rapid will run on weekends from Gungahlin to Civic.

The Weston Line route will start picking up passengers from Denman Prospect on weekdays.

Route five will be replaced by the green rapid and route four will be changed to provide better access to Fyshwick.

Suburban services will see temporary reductions in frequency during the morning peak to allow the network to take into account timing delays. Transport Canberra says the reductions will be minor.

The full timetable changes are available at: transport.act.gov.au

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/917887643916079104

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/921425879200231424

[ozbob]

New bus fares from 20 January 2018

>> http://www.transport.act.gov.au/news-and-events/items/january-2018/new-fares

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> Record number of passengers using Canberra public transport

Canberra is on track to posting a record number of passengers using public transport, new data reveals.

Transport Canberra figures show more than 13.3 million trips have been made on Canberra buses so far this financial year.

It's expected the number of trips will hit at least 18.4 million by June 30, just eclipsing the previous record set in both 2016-17 and 2011-12 of 18.29 million trips.

While passenger numbers are measured in financial years, the 2017 calendar year also had a large number of bus commuters on Canberra's roads, coming in at 18.56 million.

The figures come as Canberra's bus network has recorded its busiest year so far in the first three months of 2018.

February 27 was the busiest day for Canberra's bus network since MyWay was introduced in 2011, with 86,009 trips made.

Fifteen of the 20 busiest days since the introduction of MyWay, happened this year.

A spokeswoman for Transport Canberra said targets for the upcoming financial year had been increased as a result of the surge in bus usage.

"Transport Canberra expects to meet or exceed the increased target of 18.4 million boardings in 2017-18," the spokeswoman said.

"This target increases to 18.7 million in 2018-19."

The increased passenger figures come as Canberra's public transport network is set to expand, with the first stage of light rail expected to be completed by late 2018.

The Transport Canberra figures also revealed bus route 200 - from Fyshwick to Gungahlin - had been the most used route so far this financial year, with more than 841,000 passengers.

The 300 bus, Lanyon to Kippax, was next with 662,000 passengers; followed by the 343, Lanyon to Fraser; the 313, Fraser to Lanyon; and the number 2, Woden to Civic, rounding out the top five bus routes.

Of the top 20 routes throughout Canberra, 15 of them had more than 200,000 passengers for the 2017-18 financial year to date.

However, the Transport Canberra spokeswoman said some routes were combined, such as the 300, 343 and 313, as they all made up part of the Blue Rapid bus corridor.

The number 6 route, part of the Green Rapid corridor, was among the top 10 routes with 266,000 passengers this financial year, despite the fact it started in October.

"On a standard weekday, there are 95 routes in the general network, not including school special services, that deliver 3400 services daily," the spokeswoman said.

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> Canberrans say they'll walk farther for faster, more frequent buses

Canberrans say they are prepared to walk farther to catch faster, more frequent bus services, ahead of a massive overhaul of the ACT's public transport network.

The bus network will soon move to a seven-day timetable, with buses running along nine rapid routes every 15 minutes from 7am to 7pm on weekdays, and at least every half an hour on weekends.

Some bus stops will be removed as routes are straightened to speed up travel times, with fewer routes running more often.

While the nine rapid routes are locked in, consultation is set to begin next month on suburban services to connect people to transport corridors.

A Transport Canberra survey released on Friday revealed 532 of the 678 respondents (78 per cent) were willing to travel farther to catch the bus in exchange for a more regular service.

However, about half said there should be demand-responsive bus services for people who could not get to bus stops or interchanges because of distance or mobility problems.

Around 61 per cent said there should be flexible buses for people with limited mobility, while about 40 per cent said buses should be used as ride sharing services for large employment areas or workplaces.

The consultation paper said redesigning the network would free up some buses to provide those on-demand services.

It said the inner south, including Narrabundah, could be a good candidate for the demand-responsive buses following the brouhaha over the cancellation of Route 5 last October.

Asked what would make them catch public transport, 62 per cent said more frequent services and 54 per cent said faster journeys.

Close to 40 per cent said public transport priority over regular traffic while only 18 per cent said newer, climate-controlled buses.

Most people said they preferred to get information about route changes and timetables via mobile apps (65 per cent) and online (70 per cent) although over a third (35 per cent) still rely on traditional paper timetables.

The bus network changes will tie in with the introduction of light rail.

The rapid routes will be the foundation of the public transport system, with suburban services feeding into them.

The consultation paper also flagged a review of the current Tuggeranong Bus Station operations, in the context of urban renewal in Anketell Street.

It said the tourist loop bus had failed to encourage visitors to use public transport, which could indicate the service could be scrapped in the new network.
The new rapid routes

    R1: (light rail) Gungahlin to City via Dickson
    R2: Fraser to Fyshwick via Kippax,
    Belconnen, UC, ANU, City, Barton and Kingston
    R3: Spence to Canberra International Airport via Belconnen, UC, ANU, City and Russell
    R4: City to Lanyon via Woden, Mawson and Tuggeranong
    R5: City to Lanyon via Russell, Barton, Woden, Erindale and Calwell
    R6: City to Woden via Barton, Kingston, Manuka, Griffith, Narrabundah and Canberra Hospital
    R7: City to Woden via Molonglo and Cooleman Court
    R8: Belconnen to Gungahlin via UC Hospital
    R9: Belconnen to Watson via Bruce, Dickson and Downer

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> More services, fewer stops: check out Canberra's new bus network

Canberrans will walk farther and change buses more often in exchange for a faster, more frequent service, under a new bus network proposed by Transport Canberra.

Dedicated school stops will also be traded in most cases for more general services going past Canberra schools, while other routes have been cut to make way for more rapid buses.

The new bus network will go live next January, following the completion of the Gungahlin to Civic leg of light rail in December.

There will be 10 rapid routes, one more than originally planned, with services at least every 15 minutes along rapid transport corridors from 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday.

The extra rapid route will connect Denman Prospect to the city, via Wright, Coombs and the inner south.

The new Rapid 5 will connect the whole Tuggeranong Valley from Lanyon, Calwell, and Erindale to Woden and the City via Barton every ten minutes or better during peak times.

Rapid 4, which travels between Lanyon, Woden and the City, will run as frequently as light rail – every six minutes or better – during peak time.

More than 55 per cent of Canberrans will live within walking distance of a rapid bus or light rail stop under the new network, Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris says.

Currently only about 30 per cent of Canberrans live within 800 metres of a stop, she said.

The new seven-day week timetable will include more evening and weekend services, and Sunday and public holiday service times will be extended to 10pm.

There'll also be 30 per cent more bus trips past schools, rather than dedicated school buses, and students can get to school via the regular network.

Already nearly three in five kids who catch the bus to school use the regular network.

"I think what we've seen is where there have been dedicated school bus stops is if a school kid either misses that bus then there is no bus that will stop so this will significantly increases the number of buses travelling near or to our schools," Ms Fitzharris said.

"At the moment 80 per cent of kids going to school in Canberra go there by private motor car.

"Five per cent of primary school kids catch the bus to school and only 25 per cent of high school kids catch the bus to school. We'd love to make school bus travel to our local schools the norm here in Canberra."

Transport Canberra will bump up staff at its interchanges to ensure students get on the bus safely, Ms Fitzharris said.

If there is no bus that passes the school, a dedicated school bus will run.

However the trade-off is some bus services will no longer travel down the same street and there'll be fewer stops on some services.

The peak-hour Xpresso services have also been dumped to make way for the rapid routes.

Transport Canberra deputy director-general Duncan Edghill said they'd used population data and data from the MyWay ticketing system to determine which streets and stops were included in the new network.

He said the number of routes and coverage was "comparable" to the old network but they'd been able to increase the frequency through its design.

He said the new network, including the extra rapid bus route, would be delivered within Transport Canberra's existing budget.

"When we look at the network as a whole we think there are a tremendous amount of positives in the network. Of course for individuals with the changes to bus routes throughout Canberra there will be some people who have changed circumstances but fundamentally what we're trying to do is attract people out of the motor vehicle and make our public transportation network something that's more attractive to use," Mr Edghill said.

The government is considering introducing more flexible bus services for people who can't get to their closest stop.

It is also looking at providing a flexible bus service to the the jail, Calvary Hospital, the University of Canberra Public Hospital and Lawson, until the local road network is completed.

However the Canberra Liberals accused the government of "giving with one hand and taking away with the other".

"Direct services between the city and Belconnen suburbs are being slashed from eight to two. There will be no more direct services between the north side and the south side," transport spokeswoman Candice Burch said.

"People who are used to travelling from Tuggeranong or Woden directly to Belconnen will now have to change buses in the city. This will mean more waiting in the cold at bus interchanges on winter nights.

"Slashing the Xpresso services will mean longer journeys between town centres during peak hour and will put even more pressure on crowded interchanges. The city interchange could become an enormous bottleneck, making it more difficult for Canberra commuters."

Fares will not be increased as part of the new public transport network and Canberrans will be able to use their MyWay cards for light rail and buses.

Ms Fitzharris said they would introduce an integrated ticketing system next year that will likely be account-based so people can tap on through a card or their phone.

Have your say on the new bus network at yoursay.act.gov.au/rapid-bus-network until August 12.

There will be 10 rapid routes including light rail.
Photo: Supplied

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/1018646445644279809

^ 

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> Most Canberrans live too far from tram or rapid bus stops

Tuggeranong, Weston Creek and large areas of Gungahlin look set to be the biggest losers under the ACT government's proposed shake-up of the rapid bus network, with just one in three Canberrans within an 800m walk of a rapid or light rail stop, according to an independent analysis of the 2019 network plan.

In June Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris said 55 per cent of Canberrans would be within an 800m walk of a rapid or light rail stop. But a detailed analysis of actual walking distances from every property in Canberra has found just 36 per cent of residents will fall within that distance. When that figure is reduced to 400m - a distance widely regarded by town planners as the maximum most people will be prepared to walk to transport - just 15 per cent of the population will be within reach of a stop.  The data only relates to rapid and light rail stops and does not include other local bus routes.

Brendan Halloran, a former director of mapping and reporting at the Commonwealth Department of Families and Community Services, said he supported efforts to get more Canberrans onto public transport but the results of the analysis he conducted on behalf of Fairfax Media should cause alarm for public transport designers.

"A couple of years ago they removed the bus stop in my street. My neighbours and I used to use it all the time, most of us basically stopped catching the bus, so this stuff is really important," Mr Halloran said.

"Making inaccurate claims about the potential number of users who will be serviced by the proposed rapid bus and light rail system will not help deliver a better public transport for Canberra. Designing a public transport system that takes into account the location, demographic and socio-economic situation of potential customers and combining this knowledge with an optimised route design will help deliver a better system and ensure a better return on investment for taxpayers," he said.

Mr Halloran combined publicly available geospatial and population data against a national address database to calculate his findings, and then checked it against three different data models, reaching the same conclusions each time, finding entire suburbs that would receive no benefit from the proposed new network.

A spokesman for Ms Fitzharris said the 55 per cent figure represented growth in coverage from 38 per cent under the old network, and the figures would be updated when the new network was released in October.

"Canberrans have consistently told us they want more buses, more often and that's why we've designed the network in this way. What is clear is that the new network gives more Canberrans access to high frequency bus services than ever before," the spokesman said.

Australian National University researcher Dr Bruce Doran, who has studied the distances commuters will walk to a bus stop in other parts of Australia, said those who had to walk 400m-800m to get to a bus stop were considered to have low access to public transport, while more than an 800m walk was considered poor access.

"The distance between homes and the nearest bus stop ... is regarded as a fundamental part of accessing the broader public transport network," Dr Doran said.

But Ms Fitzharris's spokesman defended the 800m walking distance, saying it reflected community feedback.

"Canberrans have told us they would walk further for a more frequent service. We've designed this network to have more buses, more often, seven days a week across the city so people get a better service."

Since the proposed network was revealed in June, Transport Canberra has been flooded with more than 13,000 responses, including concerns about student safety, a lack of information, and personal stories outlining the impact of changes to certain bus stops and routes.

Last week the ACT government backed down on some of its most contentious proposed changes to its new network, announcing it would restore at least half the school bus routes it had announced it would scrap.

The spokesman said new rapid routes into Belconnen, Tuggeranong and Gungahlin, along with the light rail, would benefit those areas with more frequent services.

"Updated coverage figures will be released when the revised network comes out in October."

[SurfRail]

Sounds like the "experts" would have preferred Canberra's old network from decades ago, which was only "sustainable" because the federal government was paying hand over fist for it.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1059474015364907009

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> The govt is thinking about moving the city bus interchange underground

The ACT government is considering putting the city bus interchange underground, turning it into an airport-style waiting lounge, while the land above it could be transformed into a vibrant public space.

The City Renewal Authority is exploring the potential benefits of replacing the current, sprawling street-level bus interchange with an integrated underground one, and has issued a tender for a feasibility study to determine whether this could be a practical option for the city centre.

Authority chief executive Malcolm Snow said the study would examine the potential costs and practicalities around a new underground facility, protected from the elements and connected to the light rail.

"One of the benefits that could potentially arise from relocating [the interchange] from street level to an underground location, easily connected to light rail and within a five-minute walking catchment of the city, would be that we can repair and indeed improve those streets which probably have currently been impacted by bus operations," he said.

"It's not necessarily an adverse commentary around the way the existing bus station works, but we certainly are very aware, and we have had feedback from traders, that the street level bus station certainly does have some impacts on their ability to trade."

The authority controls two future land release sites in the city that will be considered in the study – on the City Hill corners of London Circuit and Northbourne Avenue.

A potential underground interchange would be located under one or both of these sites, which, Mr Snow said, would contribute to future growth of Canberra's public transport network while offering "better street-level urban design outcomes for Civic".

"While the proposed release of those two blocks is still some years off, doing this planning work now allows the government to make an informed decision on a project that could significantly shape the revitalisation of our city centre," Mr Snow said.

He said while the government believed the new light rail system would encourage more people out of cars and onto public transport, the long-term future of the bus system needed to be considered.

"We also need to make sure that the bus experience for customers and patrons of the bus system contributes to that effort to be able to access the city easily, but also to do it in a contemporary way, a very attractive way," he said.

"As a planner I think one of the most important things that you need to do to encourage higher levels of public transport is to provide a modern system and modern facilities, and buses are no different. I think connecting the city precinct better, particularly through public transport and also through other transport planning strategy, is really important to the success of our program."

The feasibility study, which would be undertaken next year, would help define the scope of a potential underground bus interchange, taking into account costs, transport network benefits and improved urban renewal outcomes.

"If the current surface-level bus station was to be relocated, what we think may happen, and the study will I guess investigate and explore this possibility, is that we can encourage conditions where perhaps property owners might be encouraged to reinvest in their building and property assets, and [create] a greater diversity of street life," Mr Snow said.

"Many of those [bus interchange] blocks are just simply for people to stop and catch a bus, but the Sydney and Melbourne buildings are an important focus of our work, and the simple act, potentially, of restoring East Row, which is heavily impacted by bus operations, for example, would be pretty attractive to us as part of the renewal effort.

"We could widen footpaths, we could plant trees, we could encourage outdoor cafes, we could do a whole series of things where we could convert literally asphalt into public space."

He said the authority had been looking for some time at how cities approached public transport in the context of urban renewal, and that Perth recently opened a new underground bus interchange as part of its city centre renewal efforts.

The Perth Busport, which opened in 2016, cost $217 million and had been "anecdotally very successful" in increasing public bus use.

"It operates on a real-time basis, you sit in what effectively look like Qantas Club lounges, air-conditioned lounges, well-lit spaces, spaces where you can do other things and wait for your bus to turn up," he said.

"We need to make the public transport experience an attractive one, and putting it underground, particularly with our big seasonal changes."

Brisbane's King George Square also now featured an underground bus station, featuring a concourse, although the central bus system had a combination of street-level and underground terminals.

"Both those cities have done things which are directly comparable to what we will be looking at in this project," Mr Snow said.

"The board of the authority has really been challenging us to think about a range of projects that would really help to drive and in some cases accelerate the renewal effort.

"Certainly the way in which public transport connects to the city renewal precinct is very important to the precinct's future, but also that ability for us through the facilities that we provide as part of that public transport."

The tender for the feasibility study closes on December 13, 2018.

[verbatim9]

Transport Canberra ------> https://www.transport.act.gov.au/news/news-and-events-items/november-2018/festive-season-late-night-rapid-services

Transport Canberra, in partnership with Uber, are getting you home this festive season!

Transport Canberra's Late Night Rapid Services provide you with the opportunity to connect between the City, Gungahlin, Belconnen, City, Kingston, Woden and Tuggeranong this festive season, by extending our regular Blue and Red Rapid bus services.

Passengers will receive $10 off their Uber tripin conjunction with rides on Late Night Red and Blue Rapids, to connect you home. Download the Uber app to make use of this discount!

When

Late Night Rapid services will run every 20 minutes up until 2:00am on:

Friday 7 December 2018

Saturday 8 December 2018

Friday 14 December 2018

Saturday 15 December 2018

Friday 21 December 2018

Saturday 22 December 2018

31 December 2018, New Year's Eve

On New Year's Eve, Late Night Rapid services will run every 15 minutes until 2:00am from the City.

Where

Transport Canberra's Late Night Rapid bus service includes:

A Late Night Red Rapid service between Gungahlin and Kingston

A Late Night Blue Rapid service between Belconnen and Tuggeranong, return via Civic and Woden

Buses departing the City every 20 minutes, travelling to major town centres or bus stops along the route

North Side bus services depart Platform 5 and South Side services depart Platform 7, City Bus Station.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/1074122056256626689

[ozbob]

New public transport fares from 5 January 2019

> https://www.transport.act.gov.au/news/news-and-events-items/december-2018/new-public-transport-fares-from-5-january-2019

At the beginning of each year Transport Canberra revises its fares in line with inflation. Consistent with previous years, new public transport fares will take effect from Saturday 5 January 2019.

From 5 January 2019 MyWay fares for public transport in the ACT will increase by up to 2.5%. Cash fares will also increase by 2.5%, rounded to the nearest 10 cents. The concession single cash fare will increase by 4.2%, from $2.40 to $2.50. This is because this fare did not increase in 2018, due to rounding, so the increase reflects two years of inflation.

With the introduction of Light Rail, MyWay and cash light rail fares are set at the same level as bus fares – customers will pay the same fare whether they are catching a bus or taking light rail this includes a free 90 minute transfer period. You can connect between Light Rail and a bus using the same ticket within 90 minutes.

The ACT Government is making numerous investments and major improvements to Canberra's public transport network, including the integrated public transport network, new buses, a new depot at Woden and new ticket vending machines. ...

Fares and conditions > https://www.transport.act.gov.au/news/news-and-events-items/december-2018/new-public-transport-fares-from-5-january-2019

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/1091124019221401600

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1106220686287069186

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/1110693134130925569

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> Transport Canberra's new network: how does it stack up?

On April 29 Transport Canberra will launch a "new integrated public transport network", adding the new light rail service to buses.

It is said to be designed to support travel that is increasingly "not conforming to the traditional nine to five lifestyle ... with more frequent services running seven days a week that continues to grow along with our city."

Although light rail is new here, most people will still need to catch a bus at some point, and many will remain on buses entirely.

How does this network change stack up? There are two perspectives: the operator's and the user's.

Operators love high-capacity corridor routes. These relatively straight, direct, high-traffic routes, which serve major centres, and use high-capacity and high-speed vehicles are cheaper and can generate nice statistics on average travel time.

This is the new network's main selling point according to Transport Canberra - average travel times will be shorter across the offered routes.

There are also significant expansions in weekend service, and a bit of expansion to the weekday schedule too. The number of bus services will rise from 3600 to 4200. For peak hour corridor travel, frequency of service has been increased. And, of course, there is now light rail.

Transit users want service that is frequent, reliable, fast, and, most importantly, gets them to and from their desired origins and destinations at the times they need to travel. Is this what they are getting from the new transit network? On the surface it might seem to be so.

Assuming Transport Canberra crunched its numbers correctly, and operations pan out as planned (for example, getting enough drivers to work the new weekend routes may not be easy), transit rides will be faster, sometimes more frequent, and running more often. What's not to like?

Here is where the operator fallacy comes in. Transport Canberra is measuring frequency and speed over the routes it offers. This is not necessarily the same as the routes users want. It could be like offering an all-you-can-eat meat dish buffet to vegetarians.

One major issue has been around the fact that to get faster average route travel times, many people are now funneled to the light rail corridor where they have to switch from a bus at least once.

Light rail runs faster, on average, than buses, so this reduces average travel time on a route. But users do not like transfers, especially if coordination is poor and connections may be missed - something quite common. Some will lose direct bus only services.

Another way to cut average travel time is to cut the number of stops, but this means transit is only taking people to and from where the operator wants to go, rather than where users want to be.

Some will stop taking public transport because of this while others will find they have to walk more to get to stops - an increase for their travel time, despite a fall in the average.

Much has been made of about using MyWay data to cut low patronage services. However networks need to offer enough to give users the option of getting where they need to go.

Expressos have been cut because of low ridership at times. These are fullest in the morning, because some will take regular services home after hours. Users look at the whole package to plan trips. If you cut Expressos entirely, you may lose bus riders to cars because they don't want to get stranded.

Transport Canberra has a nice network from its perspective. We'll find out soon how enough how much users like it.

Cameron Gordon is an adjunct associate professor of economics at UC and ANU.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/1118378029938630658

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https://twitter.com/Transport_CBR/status/1120839812485926912

[ozbob]

Hop on board a bus or light rail between 29 April and 26 May with your MyWay card and all travel will be free to celebrate the launch of Canberra's new integrated public transport network. 🚌🚴‍♀️🚋 https://t.co/OHljgWAdeu #Canberra @Transport_CBR pic.twitter.com/pF7MgjZzK2

— ACT Government (@actgovernment) April 29, 2019

https://twitter.com/actgovernment/status/1122746082465861633

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> ACT government to roll out new weekend bus timetable

Changes will be made to Canberra's weekend bus network following mass cancellation of services due to driver shortages, leading to commuter frustration.

The new weekend timetable is expected to come into effect on September 28.

The timetable will see rapid services running on the same frequencies, while the number of local bus services will be reduced to up to one every two hours.

Weekend services will continue to run on the same routes as weekday services.

Transport Minister Chris Steel said the reliability of weekend services on Canberra's overhauled bus network, which came into effect in April, had not met community expectations.

"We have been reviewing the implementation of the new network to determine if tweaks were needed," Mr Steel said.

"To improve reliability of bus services on the weekend, the government will be making adjustments to the weekend bus timetable while we continue to work on actions to recruit more bus drivers and deliver expected services on the weekend."

Bus driver shortages have led to thousands of weekend buses being cancelled since the new timetable was introduced earlier this year.

Between April 29 and July 7, 2842 weekend buses were cancelled.

Talks are set to take place between Canberra transport officials and the Transport Workers Unions to determine new bus driver shifts.

Mr Steel said the shortage of bus drivers on weekends had led to a larger campaign to recruit bus drivers on Canberra's network.

"Transport Canberra has now moved to a rolling recruitment campaign for bus drivers, rather than just once a year," he said.

"It is expected that more services will be returned to the weekend network as drive recruitment progresses."

An extra eight bus drivers will join the Canberra fleet of buses from Friday after graduating from their training, with a further 12 recently starting.

The government earlier this week agreed to a motion moved by the Canberra Liberals in the ACT Legislative Assembly to release an action plan within one month about how more timely cancellation data could be provided to passengers.

Canberra Liberals' transport spokeswoman Candice Burch said the new timetable was 'incredibly disappointing'.

Ms Burch said that more incentives such as penalty rates were needed for weekend bus drivers.

"The government promised more weekend services under the new network," Ms Burch said.

"Instead, people relying on public transport over the weekend have been forced to wait for long periods, sometimes without knowing if their bus will ever show up.

"Now, rather than fixing driver shortages, the Minister has decided to just cut the weekend services that Canberrans were promised."

Government figures have shown a 27 per cent increase in the number of journeys on public transport on the weekend compared to the same time last year.

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Yep was to be expected. The wage and condition accord they ended up with was not a good outcome for weekend services. This condition that full and part time workers can refuse work on weekends is strange. You just don"t enter a profession that you already know requires weekend and public holiday work. People should choose their profession wisely, if they don't want to work weekends and public holidays.