2021-11-15 General Committee Meeting Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                             15 NOVEMBER 2021


   9     FREE WEEKEND BUS TRIAL

   Author            Special Projects Coordinator, Adam Britton
                     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
   This report outlines the proposal for the trialling of Free Weekend Buses whereby Council pays
   TransLink an agreed fee to allow passengers to travel for free every weekend and long
   weekend on existing TransLink buses that travel within Noosa.
   The trial is aimed at encouraging more residents, staff and visitors to use public transport to
   travel around the shire, in particular to assist those wishing to access busy locations such as
   Hastings Street where parking is constrained.
   The proposed Free Weekend Buses trial is an extension of the existing Go Noosa Free Bus
   program that operates during the Christmas and Easter school holiday periods. The cost for
   this initial trial is proposed to be covered by the existing levy.
   The trial period would commence on 24 January 2022 straight after the Christmas Go Noosa
   Free Holiday Bus program concludes and continue to 30 June 2023. The approximate 18-
   month period is to allow for the initial start-up period and then a clear financial year period as
   the embedded trial period.
   Pending the uptake and patronage of the trial, it is envisaged that the Free Weekend Buses
   be an ongoing transport initiative.

   RECOMMENDATION
   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;
   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.

   REPORT
   1.    Background
   Council currently receives funding through the Transport Levy which is used to fund a number
   of transport initiatives. The most well-known initiative funded by the Transport Levy is the Free

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