NEWCASTLE Transport's on-demand bus service in Lake Macquarie is here to stay and could be extended, Transport for NSW says.
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The on-demand buses, which service an area from Dudley to Eleebana and Charlestown to Bennetts Green, were introduced when Keolis Downer implemented changes to the bus network in January, 2018.
Patronage increased from 232 trips in the first month to 1876 trips in sixth. Since then, patronage over the seven months to February was steady with an average of 2,425 trips per month.
The service was touted as a trial before its launch and was set for a review in early 2019, but a Transport for NSW (TfNSW) spokesperson told the Newcastle Herald it was pleased with patronage and there was no plan to discontinue the service.
"On demand has been very successful over the last fourteen months, with patronage continuing to steadily increase," the spokesperson said.
"On-demand transport is designed to offer a flexible and convenient service for all customers, not just those on main transport routes.
"Certainly in Lake Macquarie, we are seeing more people using public transport in the on-demand area generally, with on-demand services providing alternate trips that regular route services are unable to provide."
On-demand buses operate from 9am to 4pm weekdays, 7am to 6pm Saturday and 9am to 6pm Sunday.
Passengers book a bus, via an app or over the phone, to be picked up from a set location and dropped anywhere in the on-demand area.
A single adult trip costs a flat rate of $3 and concession fares are reduced by 50 per cent.
Charlestown's Tina Evans, 27, says she uses the service six days a week as it is more convenient than a regular route.
She began using it about two months ago and says it is like a taxi but "a lot cheaper".
"I use it to get around for work," she told the Herald before getting on the on-demand bus at Charlestown Square on Thursday.
"It's very helpful. I've got the app now, it is very accurate.
"If [the bus] is going to be late you get a message."
Kerrie Scholes, 50, of Bennetts Green, began using the service a few months ago after injuring her ankle.
She said it was convenient and she used it most days but believed it needed to be extended south to Belmont.
The TfNSW spokesperson said the agency was "working" with Keolis Downer "to assess opportunities to expand on-demand services geographically" and on-demand was "part of Newcastle Transport’s integrated public transport offering designed to make public transport a more attractive option".
Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison said public transport use was low and on-demand patronage had only "very modestly increased".
"These figures don’t indicate that the on-demand bus has been very successful," she said.
"Only about two per cent of Charlestown electorate people use public transport to get to work – we have to do better than what we are."
