Canberra’s indigenous community is participating in a pilot community bus program
July 24, 2013
A pilot Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community bus service has been launched in Canberra.
The pilot program will provide a wheelchair accessible mini bus for a range of uses by local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people including for transport to activities that promote cultural and community connections, sporting and recreational activities for both youth and seniors.
The ACT Government’s Municipal Services minister Shane Rattenbury says the bus is far more than a simple lift from one point to another.
“It is an opportunity to enhance social inclusion for members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community who are experiencing difficulties accessing transport,” Rattenbury says.
“An ongoing ACT Government study into the transport needs of the local indigenous community has identified social isolation due to a lack of transport as a significant risk factor for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”
Rattenbury says consultation with members of the community confirmed that the establishment of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community bus service is critical to addressing the risk of social isolation.
“The bus will be administered through Territory and Municipal Services and will be driven by volunteer drivers drawn from the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community,” he says.
A report on the pilot program will be released in May 2014.