Bus Services Improving: Annual Report

[Bus 400]

Bus services improving: annual report

The latest report on Canberra's bus network ACTION says the service is improving despite lower patronage over the last financial year.

In August, ACT auditor-general Tu Pham issued a critical report exposing a slew of problems within the bus service.

But the annual report from the Department of Territory and Municipal Services (TAMS), which covers the year to June, says improvements have been made in bus services, numbers and public communication.

It says between 2009 and 2010 ACTION buses carried fewer adult passengers than the previous year.

But it nearly broke a patronage record in February with more than 77,000 passengers in one day.

It says security cameras have been installed on buses and at interchanges.

An $8 million smart card system is being rolled out to replace ACTION's problematic ticketing system.

There have been delays in introducing the new system but the annual report says when it is delivered, it will mean quicker boarding times and increased flexibility for passengers.

About 34 per cent of ACTION's 414 buses are now wheelchair accessible.

ACTION says it aims to boost that to 55 per cent by the end of 2012, to meet a requirement of the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act.

An extra 44 wheelchair accessible buses will arrive in the next year.

There will also be a new bus network centred on the Belconnen interchange within the year.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/04/3028580.htm

The annual report can be found at http://www.tams.act.gov.au/live/about_our_department/annual_reports/tams_annual_report_2009-10. The ACTION Report can be found in Volume 2.