Fare-free weekend buses in Tasmania

Tasmanian government minister launches fare-free buses in the weekends to "reduce traffic and parking congestion" and to "encourage more people to use public transport." Great! - but aren't these valid & compelling reasons to make it free every day?

Editor, FareFreeNZ

Fare Free Weekend on the Buses

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Metro is offering free travel on its buses on the weekend commencing February 12.

Launching Metro’s “Have a Weekend on us” campaign today, the Minister for Sustainable Transport and Alternative Energy, Nick McKim, said the fare free weekend aimed to encourage more people to use public transport.

Mr McKim said by offering a weekend of free travel on regular services and routes, Metro was giving Tasmanians a chance to experience bus travel.

He said the free service would also reduce traffic and parking congestion on what was one of the busiest weekends of the year.

“This particular weekend is packed with major events and travelling on Metro buses provides a safe, convenient and enjoyable alternative to taking your own car,” Mr McKim said.

Events over the weekend include Festivale in Launceston, the Hobart Regatta, Hobart Cup, the Wooden Boat Festival and a Sheffield Shield cricket match at Bellerive Oval.

Metro Chief Executive Officer Heather Haselgrove said the “Have a Weekend on Us” campaign sought to encourage people who did not generally ride on buses to consider switching to Metro for future travel.

“Our aim is to increase public transport patronage in Tasmania and the fare free weekend gives people, especially those who haven’t ridden a bus in many years, the opportunity to see what it is like,” Ms Haselgrove said.

“We’re encouraging people to use buses not just to go to and from major events on this weekend, but to use regular services between other destinations – to see family and friends, go to the beach, go to shopping centres and so on.

“We believe that by showing people how easy and convenient it is, they will be more likely to see buses as a sensible alternative for daily commuting.”

Mr McKim said increasing the use of public transport had enormous long-term environmental and road safety benefits for the community and in the long-run would save people money.

The availability of the free fare services varies from region to region. In Hobart where there is a public holiday on Monday 14 February, it includes Saturday, Sunday and Monday; in Launceston the free services operate Saturday and Sunday and in Burnie the free services will run on Saturday.

For people attending Festivale on the evening of Friday 11 February, there will be free bus services on major routes from City Park (Cimitiere St before Tamar St) from 11.05pm to get people home from the event.

Tasmanian Government Media Release
Nick McKim MP
Minister for Sustainable Transport & Alternative Energy.
3 February 2011.

A new fare-free service announced for South West Sydney - a great start! ...but to have a real impact on combatting traffic gridlock, it needs to be expanded to cover the whole city at all hours.

Free Shuttle Buses in Liverpool City Centre

Free Shuttle Buses in Liverpool City Centre

by StreetCorner Staff
02/02/2011

The State Government will be operating free daily shuttle services in Liverpool City Centre as of Monday 31 January 2011.

The new buses will be provided in line with the NSW Government’s $50.2 billion Metropolitan Transport Plan and signifies a $1 million investment in free public transport, on top of more than $3.4 million already invested in free shuttle buses in Sydney and Wollongong.

Coloured a distinctive green in order to make them easily identifiable, the new buses provide families and shoppers with more public transport links between key destinations such as train stations, shopping centres, hospitals and other community hubs. Each bus is air conditioned and low to the floor – providing easy to use public transport for parents with prams, the elderly and people with disabilities.

The free ‘999’ Liverpool Shuttle will make travel around the Liverpool city centre faster and simpler, and will run as a continuous one way loop connecting locations including Liverpool Station, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool CBD Library, medical centres, Westfield and the post office.

Services will operate during the following times:

+ Monday to Friday between 9am and 2.30pm, every 20 minutes.

+ Saturday and Sunday between 9am to 5.45pm, every 20 minutes.

While the free bus service is considered a positive step in improving transport options available in Liverpool, the bus operates outside of peak hours and as such does not serve the needs of commuters and school children and is mainly targeted at shoppers. In terms of the bus route, Council notes that there is no bus stop at the Lachlan St portion of the loop or at Council’s offices at 33 Moore St, and will be providing feedback to the State Government on the route once the service is operational.

For your information, a route map and brochure for the Liverpool Free 999 Shuttle Bus is attached to this memo. More information on this service can be accessed on the Transport Infoline website at www.131500.com.au.

Should you require any further information on this matter, please do not hesitate to contact Milan Marecic, Acting Director Strategic Planning and Development, on 9821 9

Canada political candidate advocates removing fares from public transport

Larsen as premier would let you ride transit for free

By Ian Austin, The Province January 31, 2011

Photograph by: Glenn Baglo, PNG

Dana Larsen wants you to ride the SkyTrain for free.
Larsen, who’s running for the leadership of the NDP, floated the free-ride concept Monday, comparing the SkyTrain line to the highway system.
“As premier, I would designate the SkyTrain as part of B.C.’s highway system, and then get rid of fares for users,” said Larsen. “We don’t charge a tariff to use the road, and we shouldn’t charge a tariff to use the SkyTrain.”
While cutting fares for SkyTrain would put a giant hole in the transit budget – 2010 TransLink estimates for SkyTrain fares collected are $155 million - Larsen maintains it’s similar to the subsidy now enjoyed by drivers.
“BC spends hundreds of millions of dollars subsidizing a free road system for car drivers, meanwhile SkyTrain has a fare, and a lot of that money is spent on the fare-collection system,” said Larsen.
“Why should we selectively subsidize car travel, but not SkyTrain?
“We don’t have a toll on our roads – why should we have a toll on the SkyTrain?”
Larsen credits, in part, the research of environmental consultant Dave Olsen, who has studied free transit services as far away as Hasselt, Belgium and as close as Whidbey Island, just south of the border in Washington state.
“We’re paying people to drive, but we’re not paying them people to take transit,” said Olsen, who has a masters in environmental studies from York University. “A simple way is to make transit fare-free.”
Olsen said transit police on SkyTrain cost $13 million per year, and the government is spending millions to install barriers at SkyTrain stations and on advertising campaigns to get people to take transit.
“Instead, they can just stop charging fares,” said Olsen. “In Hasselt, transit ridership went up 1200 per cent when they made it fare-free.”
While Larsen is considered a long shot to become NDP leader – let alone premier – he’s happy that his idea has started a fresh debate on fares.
“I see a lot of discussion on the Internet – people are Tweeting about it,” he said.
“People are really interested in this.”
iaustin@theprovince.com
twitter.com/ianaustin7

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Make ALL public transport frequent & free

Make ALL public transport frequent & free

** MEDIA RELEASE **

Monday January 31, 2011 - Local state election candidates for the Socialist Alliance have welcomed the news that passenger numbers on the free CBD shuttle bus are increasing. They have repeated calls to expand the shuttle service to other areas in NSW and to make all public transport frequent and free.

Paola Harvey, Socialist Alliance candidate for Keira, said: 'The news that nearly 5 million passengers have used the free shuttle service really vindicates our position that if you make public transport frequent and free, people will make the switch. The CBD shuttle initiative has been a wonderful departure from Labor's decades long neglect of our public transport system, particularly our rail.

'Dramatically improving public transport would give people the option of leaving the car at home. It's a socially just response to the chronic problems of traffic congestion, lack of parking and lack of mobility faced by poorer sections of the community. It would also reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from the transport sector, which contribute roughly 14% of Australia's total emissions', Harvey said.

Jess Moore, long-time public transport campaigner and Socialist Alliance candidate for the Legislative Council, said: 'We campaigned for frequent and free public transport during the 2007 NSW election campaign. Given the social and environmental benefits of public transport use, all public transport in NSW should be made frequent and free.

'In the Begian city of Hasselt, within a year of introducing free and frequent public transport, patronage increased by 870%. And their government found they saved money overall, given subsequent savings on health, road maintenance and construction, and also on ticketing.

'We stand for publicly owned public transport, not public handouts to private companies. The current Wollongong CBD shuttle service is publicly funded but privately run. This reduces the number of public sector jobs, and needlessly complicates planning, especially across an entire state.

'Any income generated from the public transport system should immediately be directed back into the system, not into private pockets.' Moore concluded.

Posted by Chris Williams at Monday, January 31, 2011

South Australia braces for scorching heat | Herald Sun

South Australia braces for scorching heat | Herald Sun: "SOUTH Australians are set to swelter through their third day in a row of extreme heat with the temperature in Adelaide set to hit 42 degrees again.

Adelaide got to 42.5 degrees yesterday, after a 37.7 degree day on Saturday.

With 42 degrees forecast again tody, emergency services are advising people to take care of themselves in the heat.

The State Emergency Service issued an extreme heat warning for the three days, urging South Australians to take appropriate action to ensure their wellbeing during the heat event."

Free buses for Liverpool, Campbelltown & Gosford residents

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally

by StreetCorner
24/01/2011

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally today announced free new air conditioned shuttle services that will begin operating next Monday (January 31) in Campbelltown, Liverpool and Gosford.

The bright green shuttle buses are a $1 million investment in easy to use public transport for local families, and will provide services for up to 24,500 people a week.

This is a direct investment by Labor in public transport for western Sydney – in stark contrast to the Liberal Party who on Friday night pledged to slash $7 billion and two western Sydney transport projects – the Western Express and the Parramatta to Epping Rail link.

“These new buses will help families in western Sydney and the Central Coast who are feeling the pressure of the cost of living,” Ms Keneally said.

“Today’s announcement is a solid demonstration of Labor’s commitment to improving public transport for families in western Sydney and the Central Coast.”

The new shuttles will provide free transport links between key commuter destinations – including hospitals, transport hubs and shopping centres.

In total, three new buses will provide 400 extra ‘loop services’ per week. They will operate as often as every 20 minutes per day between around:

• 9:00am and 2:30pm on weekdays, and

• 9:00am and 5:30pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Each bus is air-conditioned and low to the floor – providing easy to use public transport for parents with prams, the elderly and people with disabilities.

The new buses are a significant expansion of the free shuttles already operating in Sydney and Wollongong – which have provided eight million people with free transport since 2008.

The bright green shuttle buses are in line with the NSW Government’s $50.2 billion Metropolitan Transport Plan, announced by the Premier in February 2010.

Under the Metropolitan Transport Plan, the NSW Government will grow the bus fleet by 1000 buses by 2020, providing better transport between people’s homes and workplaces.

Ms Keneally made the announcement today with Minister for Transport, John Robertson, Member for Liverpool, Paul Lynch, and Member for Wollondilly, Phil Costa.

“These new, free buses are a big win for local commuters – providing better public transport between train stations, shopping centres, hospitals and key locations,” Ms Keneally said.

“This is a fantastic initiative that will deliver significant benefits for local residents, local businesses and local communities in western Sydney and the Central Coast. "

Free Public Transport in Brisbane

Southeast Queensland public transport fares have been waived as the region begins efforts to recover from this week’s flood disaster.

Premier Anna Bligh has said, ".......making the network free for a week will keep unnecessary cars off the road....." This is recognition that fares are an impediment to making public transport the travel mode of choice. Yet once the free fare days are over (22 Jan) Brisbane public transport users will be slugged with 15% fare increases - these were planned prior to the floods. The article goes on to say that the fare increase will "go towards fixing damaged public transport infrastructure" (damaged by the floods). This is a disingenuous and opportunistic statement. One only has to ask the question of "where was the money going to go if there were no floods"?

Is climate science disinformation a crime against humanity? | Donald Brown | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Is climate science disinformation a crime against humanity? | Donald Brown | Environment | guardian.co.uk: "According the New York Times article, the fossil fuel industry has 'created and lavishly financed institutes to produce anti-global warming studies, paid for rallies and websites to question the science, and generated scores of economic analyses that purport to show that policies to reduce emissions of climate-altering gases will have a devastating effect on jobs and the overall economy.'

Disinformation about the state of climate change science is extraordinarily – if not criminally – irresponsible, because the consensus scientific view is based upon strong evidence that climate change:..."

Fix public transport. Make it frequent and free! - Socialist Alliance Illawarra

Socialist Alliance Illawarra: "MEDIA RELEASE - Paola Harvey, socialist candidate for Keira, has called for a massive funding boost to public transport in order to fix the system's chronic problems.

'We need to move away from car dependency and encourage more people to use public transport, but the NSW government is doing the opposite. In 2009-10 there were 2.3 million fewer passenger trips on the NSW rail network compared to 2008-09. Poor management and lack of investment over many years has pushed people out of the system. This is unacceptable for social and environmental reasons', said Harvey."

Eventually there will be enough pain. Then, maybe, we will put an end to the private automobile.

Australian floodwaters rise as bushfire threat looms | World news | guardian.co.uk: "Australia has endured its wettest spring on record, according to the national weather bureau, causing six river systems in Queensland to flood. Swollen rivers in New South Wales have also caused flood damage to wheat crops.

Possibly as much as half the Australian wheat crop, or about 10m tonnes, has been downgraded to less than milling quality because of rain damage. That has tightened global supplies and sent prices up by about 45% this year, the biggest surge since 2007."