BY DANEIE GEDDES
The John Hunter Hospital shuttle bus service is set to be restored if Labor is elected on March 25, eight years after it was shut down by the Liberal government.
The service will allow visitors to park at McDonald Jones Stadium and embark on the shuttle to the hospital's front door.
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery, said the service will play a crucial role in addressing transport and parking concerns for both patients and healthcare workers.
"Workers liked the shuttle from the stadium because they could park there for free and have the ease of just being able to park and hop on a bus," she said.
"People with disabilities and the elderly liked it too, because not only could they park easily at the stadium, but they had a beautiful door to door service."
The service will also be crucial for managing transport and parking issues, given future expansion plans for the hospital.
"There is a lot to do and that won't be accomplished overnight, but with real commitment we can start chipping away at some of our real major problems that have occurred in the hospital system in the last 12 years," Ms Hornery said.
Labor has proposed the restoral of the service as a fresh start for rebuilding and repairing the NSW healthcare system and says it's the first step in a long-term plan to address ongoing concerns from Hunter residents and healthcare workers.
