Understanding what public transport services operate in certain areas can be time consuming and confusing, having to rely on online map services and good old-fashioned faith.
For regional South Australia, one local resident was finding the task especially challenging, with Google Maps and DIT only offering outdated information.
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Itching to have an updated version that he could rely on, Tom McGuire decided to buckle down and take matters into his own hands.
“There are no up-to-date maps of South Australia’s regional bus network, so I decided to make one,” McGuire wrote on Reddit.
“I have spent hours going through each regional operator’s website to put together the best map I can with the information that is currently available.”
To qualify for McGuire’s map, the bus has to operate at least once weekly. Services that operate as “public buses,” but only operate on school days did not make the cut.
“The only country buses not included are those originating from Modbury to Houghton and Metroticket buses to Strathalbyn and surrounds. I don’t consider them “regional” enough to put on a statewide map,” he says.
In his post, McGuire called out the current regional bus network for being underfunded and not offering services frequently enough.
He hopes the map can help kickstart a ‘conversation’ surrounding the issue, and bring to light the inadequacies.
“It is worth noting that around 400,000 people live in Country South Australia, and those residents have one of the most underfunded bus systems in the nation,” he says.
“Public transport in the Adelaide is funded at $273 per head, while country areas are just $40.
“These unreformed, complex services are the result. Many services should run more frequently, or have weekend services.”
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