2019-10-08 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   8 OCTOBER 2019




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SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                          8 OCTOBER 2019

                9.  | Whatis demand responsive transport (DRT)?
                       DRT is a method of transport operations which has mainly be utilised to respond to community
                       needs where a transport service is required, but there is not enough demand to warrant a permanent
                       route or system. It has seen particular use in lower-population and regional areas where traditional
                       bus services are unavailable or more difficult to access.
                       DRT is a flexible system which responds to demand to supplement already existing services. The
                       ability to ‘turn-off’ and ‘turn-on’ new services quickly and easily dependent on usage is a key
                       advantage with utilisation of DRT.

                10.    Trial DRT in Queensland
                       The Logan DRT is the current primary DRT trial in Queensland. This trial involves a flexible shared
                       transport option for Logan, designed to bring together people who live near one another and want to
                       travel at the same time in places or at times when buses and trains are not available. With Logan
                       DRT people can pre-book a vehicle to pick them up near their home and take them to selected local
                       shopping and community facilities and transport hubs such as the local bus or train station.
                       Trial DRT services in other regions of Queensland (such as the Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay)
                       have met with varying levels of engagement by the public. In some cases, the use of DRT has led to
                       the creation of a permanent service route.
                       DTMR has shown general support for the DRT services system (as evidenced in their annual report)
                       and has delivered these types of services either on its own or in conjunction with local governments
                       as alternative means of transport. Some other advantages of DTR include:
                       (a)     a shift away from traditional mass public transport options (train/bus);
                       (b)     DTMR focus on shift to MaaS (Mobility as a Service) systems;
                       (c)     a shift away from ‘system orientated’ transport to ‘customer orientated’ transport; and
                       (d)     key consideration by DTMR (based on draft transport strategy report) — Strategic outcome 3:
                               ‘Seamless, personalised journeys’.

                11.    Mechanisms to include as opposed to standard bus service
                       Council wants to consider the use of DRT in its local government area. It is likely, given the nature of
                       DRT and the way it is being used, that DRT available to the general public for use would require a
                       service contract with DTMR or the agreement of DTMR in order for Council to provide the DRT
                       service.
                       If Council only provided the service for specific groups — such as mobility restricted persons — then
                       potentially the service contract or agreement by DTMR would not be required as it would not be
                       captured by the Passenger Transport Legislation.

                12.    Who should provide DRT?
                       Given DRT would fall within the scope of public passenger transport, Translink would normally
                       provide DRT if it considered the service was required. However, there may be an option for Council
                       to provide DRT in partnership with Translink (or potentially in limited circumstances directly without
                       Translink partnership).
                       Translink strategic outcomes include that it will investigate more on-demand services to respond to
                       user feedback/demand including exploring opportunities to partner with local government to pilot and
                       roll-out on-demand services. This is a good basis for Council to begin exploring options with
                       Translink for DRT.

                MinterEllison | Ref. PXM:CMM 381814                                             Public transport in Noosa | Page 8
                Private & Confidential
                23.09.19:381184_039 docx

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