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Contract certainty

Tasmanian bus operators rejoice over contract certainty with new State Government

Tasmanian bus operators can breathe easy as the results of the State Election provide business owners with contract certainty until 2018.

The State Election was held over the weekend with the Liberal Party winning a majority of the votes.

TasBus Managing Director Geoff Lewis says the result is a win for Tasmanian bus operators.

He says the Liberal Government has provided bus operators with contract certainty with the promise to renew all current contracts for another ten years.

This will effectively extend all government contracts until 2028, as there is still four years currently remaining.

Lewis says the contract renewals will have a variety of flow-on effects for the Tasmanian bus industry.

This includes the ability to invest in newer vehicles and ultimately a boost in public transport patronage.

“This is going to give commitment to the operators to be able to keep investing,” says Lewis.

“If we’ve got the contract, the rest will happen.”

Another major impact will be the development of the Department of State Growth – which will be created by merging the current Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts, with the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources.

Lewis says it will be important to make sure public transport does not get forgotten with the merger.

The Liberal Party has also promised a variety of upgrades including bus stops and integrated timetable and ticketing options between transport providers.

“I think it was a result we all wanted and a result we were expecting, but there is always the unknown,” says Lewis.

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