Bus services to northern Bellarine are in a “catch 22” situation of falling patronage leading to service cuts, a transport survey has found.
Bellarine Community Health’s Claire Bower said she was alarmed that the survey results had found that half the residents of Portarlington, St Leonards and Indented Head had never used public transport.
“It’s a catch 22 – not enough people use the bus, therefore they cut services, but that also means using the bus is less appealing as services are more limited,” Ms Bower said.
The most common reasons for not using public transport were limited frequency of buses, not understanding the Myki system and a preference for car travel, she said.
A community campaign that is been under way for several months is pushing for reinstatement of an hourly route-60 bus service.
Now a new program is trying to make northern Bellarine residents more confident about using public transport, Ms Bower said.
“We hope this program will get more people using the bus which will, in turn, create demand for an improved service on the northern Bellarine.”
The No Fuss Bus Program was developed with Travellers Aid Australia and RACV to educate the community on using public transport and encourage greater bus patronage.
The program would run sessions for either groups or individuals, with topics including types of public transport, understanding the Myki system and how to navigate public transport websites and apps.
“The sessions can be tailored to cover whatever someone feels they need to learn,” Ms Bower said.
“Our trained volunteers can even take people out on public transport for a practical session to make them feel comfortable and safe.”
Small groups could be taken on local outings using the route 60 bus so participants could practice buying or topping up a Myki card, touching ‘on’ and ‘off’, reading the timetable and using a mobility ramp to board buses.
Ms Bower said the program was suitable for older people who wanted to maintain independence, parents seeking to teach their children how to use public transport to get to school and even for first-time commuters working in Geelong.
“There are so many health benefits to be gained from using public transport from reduced car emissions to walking to and from the bus stop,” Ms Bower said.
Program session bookings are available by phoning Ms Bower on 5258 6144.
