Park and Ride an Early Success

By MATT JOHNSTON

Newcastle's commuter park and ride service launched this morning, with initial reactions already prompting council to expand the service. The free shuttle from McDonald Jones Stadium into Newcastle's CBD already has over 500 registered users looking to save money on parking closer to town.

Newcastle City Council's interim Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Bath says it's been an early success, despite "inclement" weather and other factors. He says it's a fantastic result when you consider the weather and the fact that Mondays are traditional less busy in terms of traffic.

Over 100 people used the service this morning, who gave council "a really positive response". Jeremy says "everyone was happy with the service".

"We're already in discussions in regard to expanding the park and ride from 2018 to include the Newcastle Showground. I think undoubtedly based on the registrations and even just on today's first experience, there is a very strong demand from commuters for a park and ride service into the city."

The service is being touted by council as a money-saving measure for commuters, with the shuttle being free until the end of January 2018. After January, the cost will increase to $2, which still represents a saving when compared to parking costs in the central business district.

Registration for the service is still open, with council urging as many commuters to take up the scheme as possible. Timetables and details for stops are also available on the park and ride website.

http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/parkandride

One of Australia's richest men getting transport ideas off the ground in the Hunter Valley

BY JESSICA ROUSE

It's been a plan in the making for some time, but hotel magnate Jerry Schwartz is finally getting his plans off the ground for a sea plane service in the Hunter.

The new sea plan service Blue Sky Airways is set to launch in August and will see a sea plane operate between Sydney Harbour to Newcastle harbour and out to Cessnock airport. An amphibious float fitted to the plan will allow it to land on both water and land.

Not only is he establishing the sea plane service, but in the next couple of weeks a shuttle bus service will start up between Newcastle airport and the CBD and out to the Hunter Valley.

Jerry Schwartz Image hotelmanagement.com.au

"Newcastle has its own airport but there's the same problem of getting from Newcastle airport to Newcastle city which is about a 35-minute drive and to the Hunter region so in the next week or so we will be starting a regular bus service that goes at the same time every day and connects these three centres," said Jerry Schwartz.

Jerry is one of the richest men in Australia and says there was a definite gap in the market for quicker and easier travel between Sydney and the Hunter, and he's filling it.

"The only way you can get there (Hunter Valley) is by car and that takes you about two and a half hours each way, so for the larger conferences we have we find that it's a definite impendence that distance and the ability to get there, so this is our first opportunity to connect the centres by air."

He adds his two transport ideas are something government should have looked into, and since they haven't he's decided to take the opportunity.

"One would've hoped the government would've done that most basically by having a train service to the Hunter, but there's no train service to the Hunter, you can't even catch the train to Newcastle, then the question is how do you get from the train station to your hotel in the Hunter? That's the big gap that I hope I'm able to fulfil by having a regular bus service," said Jerry.