Ms O’CONNOR question to MINISTER for TRANSPORT, Mr VINCENT
[2.59 p.m.]
Minister, we understand public school buses transport children to schools around the state – we thank them for that – and deliver them safely, then return to the Metro base empty without picking up passengers on the return journey. The Taroona High School bus, as we understand it, is one example which does the return trip to the city at peak time, zooming past the bus stops empty when it could be collecting passengers. Has the government considered enabling empty school buses to pick up passengers on their return journey? What would it take for this to occur and to enable more use of those buses on their return to base?
ANSWER
Mr President, I will just seek some advice.
A very good question from the member for Hobart. It is something that I personally haven’t seen a lot of information on, but I do know the new CEO of Metro and other bus operators are very conscious with state growth of dead running time. With the announcement that we had a couple of days ago regarding the fine tuning of the Metro service in Hobart which flows on then to the private operators as well to bring it into 2026 transport and road conditions and everything like that.
Phase 2 is – and we will deliver some more efficiencies into that to minimise that possible dead running There is a situation between school buses and general fare buses but that can change pretty quickly once all the students are off it. That is something that state growth are looking at to minimise over-cost and make it more efficient.
One of the big hassles that we’ve had with bus services as a whole is over the last few decades, it just ends up as being, as I keep describing it as running all around Hobart on some burning areas. To bring efficiency about we have to make it a lot more deliberate. Going to schools is a very deliberate run. Coming from that way may open up other opportunities now as we try to make those runs and the use of the buses more economical and efficient.
Ms O’Connor – You’d probably like to see that, wouldn’t you?
Mr VINCENT – I would certainly like to see it and it is a bit part of what the new CEO of Metro is trying to do, hence the announcement a couple of days ago about improvements in the timetables and the efficiency of bus runs. This would fit with that. If there’s any more information I need to add after speaking with the CEO, I will clarify that for you.
