Park and ride free for another month

BY JARROD MELMETH

Newcastle City Council has extended the free introductory period for the park and ride service from McDonald Jones Stadium until February 26. 

Originally the service would start costing commuters $2 return from the 26th of January, but, council says the extra time will be used to finalise a mobile phone app designed to make the payment as convenient as possible for commuters. 

Council CEO Jeremy Bath said there is still some work to do on the development of the app before it is ready to go.

Council recently surveyed users of the service to understand what improvements could be made.

More than nine in 10 of 243 respondents said they had recommended park and ride to a friend and more than half said they used it three days a week or more.

The vast majority of respondents or 86 per cent said the service times suited their commuting needs.

But earlier starting times were raised as a possible improvement for the return afternoon leg.

"We will look at the scheduling to see if we can move the pm starting time forward from 4.30pm to 3.30 or even 3pm in line with the feedback.

"Council is doing everything it can to make it easier for workers to get into the city during what is clearly a time of significant disruption, but which we know will ultimately lead to a vastly improved city for all," Mr Bath said.

The Park and ride bus at McDonald Jones Stadium. Image Supplied.

Sneak peek of Revamped Newcastle Transport Network

BY JARROD MELMETH

An improved Newcastle Transport network being introduced in January promises to provide customers with better links to the John Hunter and Mater hospitals as well as extended hours for core routes.

Currently, the majority of week-night bus services operate until 10:30pm but under the new network, core route buses will operate until midnight on weeknights and will run every hour on Friday and Saturday nights until 3am.

Newcastle's private transport operator, Keolis Downer has also promised to link the John Hunter Hospital and Newcastle CBD with services every 15 minutes from 7am to 7pm and every 30 minutes on Weekends, which Keolis Downer Hunter CEO Campbell Mason says will have a new number which, will be announced along with the Transport Network on Thursday.

Mr Mason said the changes come off the back of intense community consultation and analysis of opal data.

"We have been analysing - to start with - opal data but, of course, the opal data can only tell us about who is using the system and when they are using the system. We are looking to get feedback and have got feedback from others who are not currently using the public transport network. We have been running the voice of Newcastle program and getting a lot of comments from the social pinpoint website and also we have been running citizens panels to get feedback," Mr Mason said.

The Mater Hospital will also receive an upgrade in services with timetabled connections between Broadmeadow and Waratah stations and the hospital.

Picture: Jarrod Melmeth

Newcastle Airport ready for overseas travel

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Although there aren't any announcements on the horizon for international flights, Newcastle Airport today unveiled their international terminal fit-out.

The $1.6 million worth of facilities include security and IT equipment, passenger screening technology and furniture for border security agencies.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Andrew Constance opened the terminal this morning with the majority of which funded by the NSW Government.

"The opportunities are absolutely boundless and I know if Singapore airlines can fly thorough Canberra to New Zealand there is no reason why you won't see some of those international carriers having a very long hard think about the opportunities here, which are here, they're real and they're profound," said Andrew Constance.

The fit out was completed ahead of schedule and marks the completion of the upgrades at the terminal which started in 2015.

Andrew Constance says it's not just about moving people in and out, but the whole region benefiting through their industries as well.

'This one is a bit controversial, but I actually name it the Hunter International Airport because it does need to be a truly international airport. It's the state's second  international airport now, you guys beat Badgerys Creek so the key to it is absolutely the whole region."

Airport CEO Dr Peter Cock is on cloud nine and very happy to say the airport can now cater for international flights should the opportunity arise in the future.

"To see such a high calibre crowd here and driving along the way to this event I think it shows what an important asset this is for the region. It's a game changer. Facilities like this allow us to get international traffic and what we can be sure of is if we don't have this you can't get international flights."

Image newcastleairport.com.au

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.

New transport interchange dubbed the Newcastle Interchange

BY JESSICA ROUSE

It may not win any awards for thinking outside of the box, but the new transport interchange in Newcastle's West has been officially dubbed the Newcastle Interchange.

Upon a recommendation from the Geographical Names Board and after 65 submissions, the NSW Government settled on the name which, despite getting some heavy criticism,  Revitalising Newcastle Program Director Michael Cassel says it reflects the role of the interchange as a gateway to the great city.

The Newcastle Interchange is being delivered as a part of the NSW Government's $510 million program to revitalise the city.

Image courtesy of the Newcastle Herald.

UberWAV to be Trialled in Newcastle

BY GEORGIA LUPTON

Newcastle has been selected as the Australian trial site for ride-sharing company, Uber's new service, UberWAV.

The service will provide those with disabilities the opportunity to ride with Uber in wheelchair accessible vehicles.

Newcastle was chosen for the trial due to its large population of passengers requiring accessible transport options. 

Vehicles fitted out with wheelchair lifts can be requested by passengers on the Uber smartphone app and are available for the same fare as a regular UberX ride.

UberX rides are usually 30% cheaper than taxis outside of busy trading times.

A lucky Mayfield woman was the first to test out the UberWAV service in Australia.

Image Courtesy: uber.com

Newcastle hits back at Baird Privatisation Plans

Image courtesy of Darren Pateman via The Herald

 Newcastle Council has voted against the privatisation of the the local transport services, flying in the face of the recommendations made by the State Government.

Lake Macquaire Council distanced themselves from the plans which would see public buses, light trains and ferries moved over to the private sector.

The proposal is also opposed by both Labor and Green MP's.

Hunter Unions Secretary Daniel Wallace has also expressed his concern over the plan saying "we know from examples in Sydney that bus drivers are pushed to miss stops to keep time tables".

"Today [Tuesday, December 9th] we've just written to the Premier requesting a meeting, here in the Hunter Region to talk about what we can do to avoid privatisation and provide exactly what he said, improved services to the region".