17 October 2013
The Barnett government has announced it is withdrawing six regional bus services by the end of this year.
The bus services are between:
Boxwood Hill to Bremer Bay - 33 passengers last year
Albany to Ravensthorpe/Hopetoun - 1203 passengers last year
Quairading to Narembeen
Northam to Mukinbudin
The Bunbury to Collie & Boyup Brook bus carried 3768 passengers in the 2012-2013 financial year. Many more than the other services being axed.
The Public Transport Authority argued that the average subsidy per TransWA passenger is $19.06, but the Northam to Mukinbudin service was $152.96 and the Albany to Ravensthorpe service subsidy is $163.75 per passenger.
But the subsidy for the Bunbury to Collie & Boyup Brook service is only $52.07 per passenger. That's over $100 less than the other services.
Collie is a major town along the Bibbulmun Track and Munda Biddi Trails. Many people wishing to complete the track or trail in sections, start and stop this part of the route in Collie. Many catch the bus in or out of town to be able to enjoy this opportunity.
Cancelling this service will make that harder for visitors wishing to spend a weekend in Collie or Boyup Brook - or for residents of these and nearby towns, to spend the weekend in Perth and return in time for Monday. It will also mean the end of any subsidized fares for pensioners or health care card holders without vehicles - which could make it hard for them to visit specialists or medical treatment and family in Perth.
Please like this page so we can use people power to show the government that the people want this service to stay open!
