2020-07-07 S&O Agenda - Item 1 - Attachment 1 - Go Noosa Initiatives Evaluation

   -     As a rate payer I object to paying for free bus transport for tourists. It is NOT a free bus
         for rate payers. The buses I saw never had more than 1 or 2 people on it. Seems to
         be a waste of money.

   -     Think we should only have Noosa loop buses and not free buses to other places as it
         is the Noosa loop where the main congestion is. As a ratepayer I don’t believe rate
         payer money should support tourism to this extent. Noosa Council needs to look after
         locals first and if encouraging tourism there should be designated parks for boat
         trailers. They are clogging up the streets and are an eyesore in the Noosa Sound and
         Noosaville area.


Value for money:
Table 3: Free Bus Costs

  Council Funded Free        Payment form            Cost              Total        Average cost
     Bus Routes                                                     passengers      per passenger
                                                                                         trip

 TransLink existing         Subsidised by      $110,922            189,719         $0.58
 services                   TransLink.
 626,627,628,629,632.       Council pays
                            loss of revenue

 Temporary 064              Full cost price    $75,991             13,114          $5.79
 Peregian Beach –           paid to Sunbus.
 Noosa Heads bus
 service.

 Temporary 065 Go           Full cost price    $116,629            42,263          $2.76
 Noosa Loop bus             paid to Sunbus.
 service.

 Total                                         $303,542            245,096         $1.24



As TransLink already subsidises the existing bus routes Council is only required to fund loss
of revenue. This results in a very cost effective services when compared to the other temporary
(and additional to the network) fully costed services.
Staff have endeavoured to devise a “work-around” to avoid needing to provide 064 Peregian-
Noosa Heads bus and to utilise the existing 620 Maroochydore-Noosa Heads TransLink bus
service however until a new ticketing operating system is in place there is currently no viable
alternative if Council wishes to continue with the Peregian – Noosa Heads Free Bus service.
The high frequency 065 Go Noosa Loop is the only free service after 7pm and continues until
10pm which allows diners and workers to make use of free evening service (the service
operated 7 days a week). Providing an evening service results in drivers being paid at a higher
rate and the patronage is generally lower.
As an overall cost per trip comparison, 245,096 passengers at a cost of $303,542 gives an
average cost of $1.24 per passenger trip. This compares to an average cost of 89 cents per
passenger trip in 2018/20 noting that the 065 Go Noosa Loop did not operate that year and
factors as a higher cost per trip as Council pays full cost price.
Areas for improvement:
Bus services in Queensland are controlled by State Government entity TransLink and not
Noosa Council. The size of buses, timetable, and routes are all determined by TransLink.