A trial of a high frequency bus service in Tasmania has led to patronage growth
Metro Tasmania’s Turn Up and Go high frequency bus service trial has led to a 5.4 per cent increase in passenger numbers.
As part of the trial, 735,289 passengers had boarded buses on the Main Road Turn Up and Go corridor from November 3 2013 to March 10 2014.
This is a 5.4 per cent increase on the same period in the 2012/13 financial year.
Metro General Manager Business Development & Planning Anthony James says these figures are very encouraging and are helping to reverse a trend downwards in public bus transport patronage over recent years.
“After excluding the increased patronage resulting from the fare free weekend in 2013 which was not repeated this year, then total boardings in February 2014 increased slightly by 0.8 per cent state wide.”
James says these figures were very encouraging and were helping to reverse a trend downwards in public bus transport patronage over recent years.
“After excluding the increased patronage resulting from the fare free weekend in 2013 which was not repeated this year, then total boardings in February 2014 increased slightly by 0.8 per cent state wide.”
The patronage increase was evenly spread across most of the day except between 7am to 8am and from 10pm to 11pm.
James says Metro has also commissioned EMRS to undertake an online survey of bus passengers on the Turn Up and Go corridor in March this year.
The survey found that 78 per cent of people who used the service were satisfied with it.
The two key perceived strengths of the Turn up and Go service mentioned by respondents were reduced waiting times (26 per cent) and more buses/ frequency/ regularity (19 per cent).
The Turn Up and Go trial is scheduled to end in November this year.