Media Release: Shane Rattenbury MLA, 21 September 2015.
Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Shane Rattenbury, today congratulated the flexible transport service team on one year of operating and transporting over 10,000 Canberrans who need it most.
“It is pleasing to see what impact the flexible bus service has had in its first 12 months of operation,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“Seniors, people with a disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have embraced the free service. In the first year there have been 10,500 passenger movements, with pick-ups from Belconnen, Woden, Weston Creek and Tuggeranong.”
The flexible bus service has been designed to assist those who cannot easily access public transport and it ensures they can get to their local centres, shopping centres, medical appointments and other community events and services.
“For regular users, the opportunity to travel on the fleet has become an event in itself with passengers getting to know each other and developing new friendships. The social aspect has the added benefit of reducing the feeling of isolation some members of the community may feel,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“Drivers also contribute to the success of the service. They are part of the special needs transport team and have skills in assisting passengers when required. Passengers become familiar with the regular drivers and this goes hand in hand with delivering a successful service. The minibuses are all wheelchair accessible.
“Some of the passengers live alone and have limited contact with other members of the community. The Community Transport Coordination Centre plays an important role when taking bookings from passengers.
“As more Canberrans become familiar with the flexible bus service, opportunities could arise to extend the service to other areas of Canberra,” Mr Rattenbury said.
To make a booking, passengers can call 6205 3555 between the hours of 9 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday. Bookings must be made two days in advance and if a bus is full, an alternative option will be found. More information on the flexible bus service can be found at www.transport.act.gov.au.
This page was last updated on 6 August 2022
