The New South Wales government has declared the expanded Snowy Mountains Bus Service a massive success after it hit a major milestone this snow season.
It played host to more than 90,000 customer journeys across the colder months, seeing a more than 10,000 person increase in comparison to 2023.
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Transport for NSW says this has greatly increased road safety across the Snowy Mountains, with 30,000 fewer trips being taken to and from the slopes as the bus service was more available.
“The NSW government is proud to have supported another successful season for the Snowy Mountains Bus Service which is going from strength to strength,” says NSW roads and transport minister Jenny Aitchison.
“In response to this growing demand, we delivered an expansion of routes to include a Cooma via Berridale to Jindabyne service while more trips were also added to support the school holiday peak.
“Increased services led to improved safety on our roads at the busiest times for the snowfields, contributing to fewer journeys by car on roads impacted by ice and snow.
“The convenience was experienced by both locals and visitors to our region who not only used the bus as a reliable way to get to the snow, but also to access our mountain trails for other recreational activities.”
The winter school holidays (July 8 to July 19 in NSW) were the busiest period, with 50 additional bus services scheduled over the two weeks.
Between July 8 and 28, 409 services ran at 100 per cent capacity – or about 20 per cent of all services.
“The Snowy Mountains Bus Service continues to offer a reliable public transport option improving access to the snowfields for workers, visitors and locals. This also means less cars on the road which is a great safety outcome,” says Member for Monaro Steve Whan.
“The service allows a stress-free journey to the snowfields for all snow goers and takes the stress off drivers who might not have much experience driving in the alpine conditions.”
The NSW government initially announced it was expanding the service in April this year. The bus service for 2024 has ended as of October 6.
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