BendigoWeekly www.bendigoweekly.com
ISSUE 1134 FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2019
People power is child’s play AN active campaign against the closure of the playground in Sunset Drive, Strathfieldsaye has resulted in a rethink by the City of Greater Bendigo council – Story Page 3
Photo: ANDREW PERRYMAN
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NO GO ZONE Bus network fails to pull in passengers
By PETER KENNEDY
DESPITE two major overhauls to services in the past three years, Bendigo residents continue to shun the public bus service provided by the state government, with the overwhelming majority of buses operating at less than 25 per cent of their capacity. Passenger data for the past three years obtained by the Bendigo Weekly shows that of the 15 different bus services offered throughout the city, only the Huntly to Kangaroo Flat route attracts an average of more than 15 passengers on each of the 60 week day bus runs.
Most bus services average less than 10 passengers per trip, some as few as five, despite the availability of a high quality and reliable service. Two 10 year contracts worth more than $102 million for the provision of the Bendigo transit service were awarded to B & G Christian Pty Ltd and implemented in July 2011. Another $3.49 million tender for the Strathfieldsaye – Bendigo bus service for the same tenure was awarded to Macmore Holdings Pty Ltd. The city’s out of favour transit service is widely regarded as one potential solution to parking woes in the central business district, but
residents continue to mostly ignore the public bus service, and instead opt to drive into the city. More than 1.6 million trips were undertaken on the Bendigo bus network in the 12 months up until May 2019, and the Weekly understands approximately $3 million of ticket revenue was received, although the state government said it was unable to verify any figure. Regional Sustainable Development manager at the City of Greater Bendigo, Trevor Budge said the need for better transport services was a well-entrenched principle of the Integrated Transport and Land Use Strategy, which encourages
people to use active transport that includes public transport, bikes and scooters or walking as an alternative to the car. He said congestion can be reduced and healthy living standards improved with a minimum of change to people’s lives if more residents travelled via public transport. “The City of Greater Bendigo and the state government are committed to ensuring buses and trains are attractive transport options that will entice people leave the car at home,” he said.
Continued Page 6 EDITORIAL – Page 13
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