BUSLINK QUEENSLAND has hailed its promotion of Road Safety Week a success following solid support from the community and a raft of state industry groups, it announced recently.
Held 26-30 August, the aim of the Queensland Government initiative was to help people understand how they can keep themselves and others safe on the road.
This year Buslink Queensland invited key stakeholders and staff to functions in each of its five depots to both support and promote the event. Over a welcoming BBQ and coffee participants heard from several expert speakers in the field of road safety, the company states.
Following great success at the same event last year, for the first time this year Buslink wrapped a bus in the brightly coloured Road Safety Week theme and ensured it travelled on as many of its runs as possible, it says.
“The feedback we received over this initiative was extremely positive and certainly something we would wish to build on in future years,” said Bertram Birk, general manager Buslink Queensland.
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NEEDLESS DEATHS
In Queensland, Buslink has depots in Gladstone, Noosa Heads, Coolum, Caloundra and Kunda Park. At each of these depots participants heard that 135 people have been needlessly killed on Queensland roads from the start of the year to August 25, it says.
Approximately 10 times this number have also received injuries requiring hospitalisation following a road crash, it explains.
Buslink staff also heard that compared with lighter vehicle crashes, the ratio of fatalities to hospitalisations is much higher for heavy vehicles, as crashes involving heavy vehicles are statistically more severe than those of lighter vehicles. Therefore, while road fatalities involving heavy vehicles are on the decline in Australia, it remains more important than ever to make road safety a priority for heavy vehicle operators and those who share the road with them, the company adds.
GETTING INVOLVED
Stakeholders that supported the Buslink Queensland events included: the Member for Ninderry, Dan Purdie; the Queensland Police Service; Queensland Transport; the Department of Transport and Main Roads; the RACQ; representatives from Gladstone Regional Council; Queensland Ambulance Service; the University of the Sunshine Coast; Noosa Council; the TWU; and representatives from various schools which Buslink services.
“We sincerely thank everyone who participated, and while Road Safety should be practised every single day we look forward to continuing to collaborate with the community in order to try and address the reduction in fatalities on our roads,” Birk said.
PASSENGER SAFETY
Late 2018, the Buslink group of companies was acquired by ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia (CDC). Its parent company, ComfortDelGro, is one of the world’s largest public transport companies, head quartered in Singapore.
ComfortDelGro operates more than 43,000 vehicles in seven countries and employs over 22,000 staff, it states.
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“In Queensland, Buslink has 151 buses and 184 employees. With the acquisition of Buslink, ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia is now one of the largest bus operators in Australia,” said Tony Hopkins, CEO Buslink NT/QLD.
“CDC is similarly committed to both road and passenger safety and fully supports initiatives such as Queensland’s Road Safety Week,” he added.
Photography: courtesy Buslink Queensland