Labor Promises Fair Fares For Hunter School Kids

JARROD MELMETH

Hunter school children will be able to travel on public transport for free if Labor form government in the upcoming state election.

Local Labor MP's met with Charlestown resident Jason Brown to hear how the current student travel system has affected his family.

Mr Brown raised concerns about how his eight-year-old daughter would have to walk a long, dangerous route to get to school – the same route his son had been granted a pass to avoid, three years earlier.

Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp says the governments' priorities are all wrong.

"How could they think that saving money is more important than putting children's safety in danger? This is just another way Labor will ease the cost of living for families in Newcastle," Mr Crakanthorp said.

Shadow Minister for Transport Jodi McKay said children shouldn't be penalised by being forced to walk across busy roads because they don't fit into some arbitrary prescriptive rule.

Labor has also committed to doing a review of the Newcastle bus network as well as working on reinstating buses down Beaumont Street.

Labor MPs meeting with local residents.

Keolis Downer defends bus patronage increase

BY JARROD MELMETH

An increase of patronage on Newcastle buses by almost five percent is being labelled by private operator Keolis Downer as a "strong endorsement of the new network design."

New data released today shows a jump of almost 15,000 passengers for the month of January 2018 compared to the same period last year but, questions are being raised due to customers being required to catch more services to reach their destinations, therefore tapping their opal cards more than ever.

However, Keolis Downer Hunter General Manager Mark Dunlop says the Opal system in NSW is very sophisticated as it considers the passengers' journey and does not count people twice.

Mr Dunlop added that a network planning team is reviewing all of the information and data to understand what is working and where improvements need to be made.

"Our drivers are playing a huge role in letting us know what is working out there and what improvements can be made operationally, as well as passing on feedback from customers.

"We will also take this opportunity to improve connections and make minor adjustments to routes to better meet patronage or for route directness, as well as ensuring buses are running on time," Mr Dunlop said.

Keolis Downer has confirmed the largest increase in patronage is on high-frequency routes such as the 11 and the 29 to Cardiff Train Station.

New Bus Services On The Way In The Hunter

BY IAN CROUCH

Premier Gladys Berejikian has announced more than 170 new buses will be purchased for the state, with funding to be allocated in the upcoming budget.

It means more than 100 extra weekly bus services will be added to the following routes:

* Route 130 Fingal Bay to Newcastle via Nelson bay and Anna Bay.
* Route 166 Cessnock and Kurri Kurri to Stockland Green Hills via Maitland.
* Route 179 North Rothbury to Stock;land Green Hills via Maitland.
* Route 262 Cameron Park to Charlestown via Cardiff.
* Route 269 Toronto to Charlestown.
* Route 270 Toronto West to Wallsend via Stockland Glandale.
* Route 275 Morisset to Toronto via Wangi Wangi.

The additional buses and services forms part of the 2017/18 Growth Services program.

Meanwhile, Newcastle commuters will soon be able to catch a bus from just about wherever they like as part of a major innovation in public transport.

In an Australian first, starting next month, commuters will be able to make a phone call, visit a website or use an app to order a small to medium-sized bus to pick them up from virtual bus stops.

The buses will run on flexible routes and timetables around Newcastle, with changeable pick-up and drop-off points depending on demand.

New Buses And Services On The Way For The Hunter

Brisbane bus driver attack raises concerns for Hunter drivers

BY JARROD MELMETH

State Member for Wallsend, Sonia Hornery, is calling on the Transport Minster to address safety concerns raised by Newcastle bus drivers following the death of Manmeet Alisher, a Brisbane bus driver who died after being set alight when a boarding passenger launched an "incendiary device" at him. 

Drivers across the Hunter have been calling for improved safety conditions for a number of years following a string of incidents including a bus driver who was violently assaulted after ordering a 28-year-old man off the bus in Raymond Terrace for drinking alcohol on board in 2014.

The number of assaults on Hunter bus drivers has increased in recent years with reports of drivers being verbally assaulted, spat on or physically attacked. 

Sonia Hornery says everyone deserves a safe working environment and bus drivers have been subjected to increasing levels of violence.

"The Government need to be protecting our drivers much better than they are. Our bus drivers, particularly at night, are saying it's not safe for them, they're on their own and are at the whim of the best behaviour of commuters." 

Ms Hornery also believes with the privatisation of public transport in the Hunter pending, the Government needs to ensure safety is given priority as private bus fleets have been shown to have even fewer safety measures in place in their vehicles.

"The Government is just about to privatise and sell off Newcastle Buses so they need to make sure that our fleet is as safe as possible."

Richard Allsop from The Institute of Public Affairs wrote in the Assessing the results of privatisation report which assesses Victoria's Privatisation of public transport "Safety improved faster after privatisation than before privatisation for all classes of accidents."

Ms Hornery will be taking the issue with her to Parliament next week and will be writing to the Minister for Transport to seek a commitment to improving the safety of Hunter bus drivers.

Newcastle buses. 

Wallsend MP, Sonia Hornery.

Newcastle Fare Free Day

BY IAN CROUCH

 Newcastle bus and ferry commuters will ride for free today as part of industrial action by the Rail Tram and Bus Union.

Bus drivers and ferry workers won't be asking commuters to pay for tickets or tap their Opal Cards as they continue to protest against plans to privatise the city's public transport.

The Union's Chris Preston says state transit workers want the same transition deal offered to other public sector workers who've had their industries privatised.

"The government said they're not going to do the same arrangements that they have done in the past. When I've asked why, a government authority said 'because they don't deserve it' ", he said.