2015-04-07 Item 2 - Attachment 1 - Pre feasibility Study of Electric Bus Routes

626 and 627 (currently each at every 30 minutes). However, customers in the Sunshine
Beach and Sunrise Beach areas and in the St Andrews Drive/Furness Drive sections (Route
626) would have a reduced service frequency from every 30 minutes to hourly. It could also
be extended north along Moorindil Street to service the Noosa-Tewantin Caravan Park if the
demand warranted.
The remaining sections of Routes 626 and 627 could operate as separate routes or be
merged into Routes 628 and 629 to cover the Sunshine Beach, Sunrise Beach and St
Andrews Drive sections that would be excluded from the new Route 625.

Advantages
  A single route would cover the Tewantin to Noosa Heads and Noosa Junction section
  making it more legible for customers
  The electric bus would operate through the busiest section of the tourist and visitor
  precinct in Noosa every 15 minutes
  Recharging stations could be installed at multiple locations along the route at the Council
  office in Tewantin, and at the bus stations at Noosa Heads and Noosa Junction, negating
  the need for a charging station at the eastern terminus in a residential area

Disadvantages

  A redesign of the TransLink bus network in Noosa will require extensive community
  consultation on the route changes, especially for the other local routes to Sunshine
  Beach and Sunrise Beach
  Some passengers would be forced to transfer between a high frequency and low
  frequency route
  New timetables would need to be designed and printed which is an additional cost for the
  trial

  New driver shifts and rosters would be required for all of the Noosa bus routes operated
  by Sunbus
  Since the patronage on Routes 626 and 627 is relatively evenly spread with 20 to 30
  percent of the patronage on the sections east of Noosa Junction, any change to the local
  bus routes will have a major impacts on bus customers and would require detailed
  assessments, community and stakeholder consultation

  Bus drivers need to be trained on all affected bus routes, not only the electric bus route

3.2.2    Option 2 – Alternate electric bus on Routes 626 and 627

Option 2 is to operate an electric bus alternately on Routes 626 and 627 which both operate
every 30 minutes, seven days a week, whereas Routes 628 and 629 operate hourly.
Route 626 currently requires three (3) buses operating every 30 minutes on a 90 minute
circuit. Route 627 requires two (2) buses operating every 30 minutes on a 60 minute circuit.
Therefore, five (5) buses are operating on these two (2) routes that are currently interlined
with other bus routes in Noosa. The two (2) routes have a combined headway of every 15
minutes between Tewantin and Noosa Junction via Noosa Heads.

Advantages
  Both routes cover the busy tourist and visitor precincts between Tewantin, Noosa Heads
  and Noosa Junction with the same streets




                              GHD | Feasibility Study of Electric Bus Routes in Noosa - Planning Report | 13