2022-12-06 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                            6 DECEMBER 2022


5.   REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE COMMITTEE

1    FREE WEEKEND BUS TRIAL – EXTENSION

Author           Project Officer, Jo Ferris
                 Infrastructure Services Department

Index            ECM/ Project & Contract / Public Transport / Free Holiday Bus (PT-FHB)
                 ECM/ Subject / Transport / Holiday Buses – Free Buses – Go Noosa

Attachments      Nil

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Free Weekend Buses 12-month trial commenced on 12 February 2022 as an extension of
the existing Go Noosa Free Buses program that operates during the Christmas and Easter
school holidays.
The extension of free buses into the weekends, including long weekends, is seen as additional
incentivisation for visitors and residents to:
•     create a more consistent travel behaviour and experience of using public transport
      throughout the shire; and
•     offset many of the previous negative experiences when traveling into the Noosa coastal
      areas by private car during the weekends.
The free weekend bus services operate on existing Translink services that originate and
terminate within Noosa Shire, including routes:
▪    626 – Tewantin to Sunrise Beach via Noosa Heads
▪    627 – Tewantin to Sunshine Beach via Noosa Heads
▪    628 – Parklands to Noosa Junction via Noosa Civic
▪    629 – Tewantin to Noosa Junction via Noosa Civic
▪    632 – Noosa to Cooran via Cooroy and Pomona.
Based on patronage and customer feedback the Free Weekend Buses trial has successfully
encouraged residents, staff, and visitors to use public transport to travel around the Noosa
Shire.
It is proposed to fund from the Sustainable Transport Levy a further 12-months of free weekend
buses, subject to Translink agreement.
The inclusion of Noosa only journeys for bus services that travel outside of Noosa Shire will be
further investigated once Smart Ticketing has been introduced by Translink.

RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Project Officer to the Services & Organisation Committee
Meeting dated 6 December 2022; and
A.   Subject to Translink agreement, approve the continuation of free weekend bus services
     on Translink routes 626, 627, 628, 629 and 632 between 13 February 2023 and 13
     February 2024;
B.   Fund the cost of free weekend bus services from the Sustainable Transport Levy; and
C.   Continue to negotiate with Translink on their ticketing systems with the aim to allow other
     routes that enter and depart the Noosa Shire to be included.




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