Released 06/08/2018
More Canberrans than ever before are catching public transport, with Transport Canberra exceeding its 2017‑18 bus patronage target by more than half a million boardings.
Minister for Transport and City Services Meegan Fitzharris said tertiary students were largely driving the boom in public transport use in Canberra.
“New figures from Transport Canberra show there were a record 18.94 million bus boardings in 2017-18, exceeding the target of 18.4 million by over 500,000 and topping last year’s figure by over 600,000.
“Of the 18.94 million boardings, 39 per cent were on our popular Rapid services, up from 32 per cent in 2016‑17. Red Rapid (200 and 950) services saw a patronage increase of 28per cent, while the Blue Rapids (300 and 900) saw a 6 percent increase in boardings on weekends.
“This demonstrates how the ACT Government’s efforts to increase patronage are already succeeding. The proposed new bus network, now open for consultation, will provide more rapid routes and better services across weekends, delivering more of the services which are so popular with existing and new bus passengers.
“It’s also great to see that this increase has been driven largely by growth in tertiary student trips, with an increase of 13 per cent over the previous year with 360,000 additional trips. Tertiary student trips have increased by more than 60 per cent in the last five years, from just over 2 million in 2012-13 to almost 3.3 million in 2017-18.
“Education is Canberra’s largest export and these results show how our bus network is helping to secure Canberra’s position as the education capital,” said Minister Fitzharris.
Transport Canberra is delivering a modern, sustainable and integrated transport system. We are committed to ensuring that the number of people using public transport continues to grow through the delivery of the first stage of the City’s Light Rail network and redesign of the bus network.
The new bus network has been designed to respond to the community’s calls for more buses, more often, seven days a week and through light rail and expanded Rapid services.
Transport Canberra has continued to invest in bus network design, fleet and infrastructure to offer commuters a quick and easy way to get around and ensure Canberra remains one of the most liveable cities in the world.
With extensive community consultation underway on proposed changes to the network, Transport Canberra looks forward to responding to and incorporating community input into the new network.
For more information about the new network go to www.yoursay.act.gov.au/rapid-bus-network
- Statement ends -
Meegan Fitzharris, MLA | Media Releases
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