2022-12-06 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                            6 DECEMBER 2022


Free weekend buses have also been popular with visitors with resort owners providing the
following comment:
“We think the free weekend buses are a wonderful program and we totally support it. We hand
a lot of the brochures out and actively promote this initiative as a way to avoid the parking
hassles of Hastings Street but also as a way for guests to get around when they don’t have a
car. We have had many guests comment on how easy and great the initiative is (especially
since we have bus stops located quite close to our resort)”.
In summary, there is support for the Free Weekend Buses trial to be extended with staff to
continue to investigate options to allow for the inclusion of free travel on route 620.
Previous Council Consideration
Ordinary Meeting Minutes, 18 November 2021, Item 9, Page 26
That Council note the report by the Special Projects Coordinator to the General Committee
Meeting dated 15 November 2021, and:
A.   Subject to Translink agreement, approve the use of Free Weekend Bus travel on Translink
     services 626,627,628,629 and 632 between 24 January 2022 and 30 June 2023;
B.   Delegate CEO to negotiate with Translink on the trial specifics and include the inequity of
     current delivery of free buses to the remainder of the shire – 630, 631 and 620;
C.   Note that an evaluation report will be presented to Council prior to conclusion of the 18-
     month trial period for consideration of continuing the trial;
D.   Fund the cost of the free weekend bus trial for the period January 2021 to June 2022 from
     the Sustainable Transport Levy reserves and include the funding at Budget Review 2
     (BR2); and
E.   Undertake a review of the Transport Levy pricing structure to accommodate the service
     as part of the 2022/2023 budget development process; and
F.   That the CEO be requested to review options for funding ‘free’ bus services that more
     equitably shares the cost across user groups and between visitors and residents with a
     view of identifying cost neutral models for expansion of free weekend and holiday bus
     services across all services within the shire including options for demand-oriented
     solutions for hinterland areas outside the current public transport network. That council
     engage the community on a place-by-place basis as part of the identification and
     prioritisation of these options. Further that the results of these investigations be
     considered as part of the 2022 – 2023 budget deliberations.
Finance
The table below identifies costs for operating the Free Weekend Buses trial from February 2022
to 2023.
        Item                                         Expenditure
                                                     Feb 2022 – Feb 2023
        Free Weekend Bus – TransLink contract cost   $174,982
        Marketing                                    $12,264
                                                     (Oct 22)
                                                     Expected expenditure $20,000
                                                     (Feb 23)
        Total                                        $194,982

The table below identifies estimated costs for operating the Free Weekend Buses trial for a
further 12-months.


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