Esperance public transport consultation

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esperanceguy47
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Esperance public transport consultation

Post by esperanceguy47 »

I previously mentioned in a recent thread on another post:
Tracy Young, founder of SEED Community Hub in Nulsen & brief nominee for the recent local govt elections, has been looking at establishing a new public bus service for Esperance; there had been a period of public consultation over routes/days/times etc, which I didn't get to have a say in as I... don't go over to that side of town :shock:
Posted today, Oct 29, on her Facebook page:

"Thank you to everyone that contributed to our survey at the SEED Community Hub. We had 100 % positive feedback and excellent ideas with regards to routes / dates and times.
The Manager of Regional Town Bus services for the Public Transport Authority will be meeting next week in Esperance with our shire CEO to discuss."

IF the route ideas included, and will actually be instated as, a touristy sort of service to/from Twilight Beach, I may actually get to that beach without anyone needing to drive me this summer, for once :!: :D
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by adx666 »

Great to hear something is happening on the PT front in Esperance!
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esperanceguy47
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by esperanceguy47 »

It's taken some time, but the proposed routes & timetables have been revealed, with a PTA representative in town for two days this week to discuss things.

https://www.pta.wa.gov.au/Portals/15/AA ... Wq_w%3d%3d

https://www.pta.wa.gov.au/Portals/15/AA ... nCPA%3d%3d

Basically, public & online consultation open, if not now, then from April 1st until May 6th, with the trial run set to commence in July, for 12 months.
Worthy of note:
1. This is not a commuter service, rather, a social service.
2. These services can only be run between 9am-2.30pm, as the buses will need to be used for school services outside of these times. My suggestion that they should "import a few buses from Kalgoorlie or Albany", was met with :roll: :lol: *
3. The routes are not set in stone, hence being proposed, but I don't think there'll be much leeway on where they go. The other person there at the same time as myself, was suggesting a sort of route extension to Care Services for her clients; Care Services are an Op Shop/social services-type business located out in the Industrial Area and "buses don't generally go into industrial areas". An extension/deviation of the 811 Castletown service *could* work, but there'd need to be the numbers for it to work.
4. The 812 West Beach service makes NO sense, as in why isn't there a morning service running from town to the beach, giving you a couple of hours there before returning to town? Come to that, why isn't it extended to the more popular summer spot at Twilight Beach?

Given this will be a 12-month trial, I asked if the 812 could be made to run a couple of times there and back on the weekends, possibly to Twilight?
"Well yes, it could, but then operating one route on a Saturday (say) would then see people asking for the other 2 routes to run also."

Could there be a Thursday evening shopper service?
"Yes, but they don't really work & they're talking about removing those services."
What, even in Bunbury? (easily the best of all the TransRegional services, imho)
"Yes, even in Bunbury."

"While this is not a commuter service, you could easily run one at 7am & again at 5pm."
- that might work if one lives further out of the main network map, one supposes.

I didn't ask about/suggest whether one, two or all 3 routes be combined into one circular service, but the rep did say a 20-minute bus ride was more preferable to one that's 40 minutes.
I also didn't (forgot) to ask about the potential to run extensions to/from the airport, which would be handy for the frequent fliers who may utilise the taxi service, which is minimum $50 on way... but probably not feasible :?:

Only time will tell!

*Transperth buses are always being sent to the regions once they've outlived their usefulness in the city, so why not send a few more of those ones here...? :roll:
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by Merc1107 »

Thank-you esperanceguy47 for sharing news of the possibility of public bus service in Esperance.
esperanceguy47 wrote: Mon Mar 28, 2022 11:45 pm These services can only be run between 9am-2.30pm, as the buses will need to be used for school services outside of these times.
Perhaps if the trial is a success, it will be the catalyst for reform of the school bus network that will allow a limited commuter service to run. Do the school bus routes largely parallel the proposed 810-812 trips?
esperanceguy47 wrote: Mon Mar 28, 2022 11:45 pm Given this will be a 12-month trial, I asked if the 812 could be made to run a couple of times there and back on the weekends, possibly to Twilight?
"Well yes, it could, but then operating one route on a Saturday (say) would then see people asking for the other 2 routes to run also."
Strange sort of excuse on the face of it. Given it appears as though only a limited social service can be supported, the additional cost to the contractor of the Saturday service, and ease of driving in a regional centre like Esperance, it's probably best to focus on weekday services at first.
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by 1whoknows »

That argument about running one route but not the other two is completely spurious. Surely in a town the size of Esperance a weekend service could be managed by one bus performing each route in turn - at least until demand is either proven or disproven. Likewise on weekdays, there should be scope to run late afternoon services from around say 4.30pm onwards, after school runs have finished. Mornings are more problematic as the "going to work" period concides with the morning school peak.
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by Zidanehartono »

Trial services set to start from July.
Rita Saffioti MLA wrote:To help residents and tourists get around Esperance, we’re trialling a town bus service!

From July 4, buses will run on three routes between Esperance and surrounding suburbs.

🚌 Route 810 will run between Nulsen and Esperance
🚌 Route 811 will run between Castletown and Esperance
🚌 Route 812 will run between West Beach and Esperance.

Timetables can be downloaded from the TransRegional website from June 27.

Hop on board and help make the trial a success!
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by Enviro 500 »

I have a feeling the 4 OCs (namely 2205-8) being refurbished in Perth may be headed over there to cater for the increase in services.
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by Mr OC Benz »

The network appears to be designed around the existing school network. The proposed timetable suggests it shouldn't require any extra buses to deliver as the services operate at times when the existing fleet is available (i.e. outside school times).
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by esperanceguy47 »

Mr OC Benz wrote: Thu Jun 16, 2022 1:01 pm The network appears to be designed around the existing school network. The proposed timetable suggests it shouldn't require any extra buses to deliver as the services operate at times when the existing fleet is available (i.e. outside school times).
To be reviewed after six months... the talking heads say if demand is there for after hours or weekends, they'll look into it. The routes need a minimum of 6 passengers for it to remain viable, but on the whole, for a public transport enthusiast like myself and yourselves who like to travel, there is no point in catching any of these services at any time, as none of them are intermixed as a circle route, for example, and if you catch a bus out to the other end of Castletown (for example), there'll be a particular wait for a return service to town, which will serve no purpose unless you happen to like exploring wetlands, which do exist in that spot.

:roll:

PS: Fly Esperance, which offers joy flights out of Esperance airport, have introduced an airport shuttle to meet ALL Rex Airlines flights, at a cost of $25 one way, or $30 if one lives out in the Pink Lake area... which is half of what it costs using the taxi service, which thus undercuts the taxi service, which has been struggling with employing drivers as well as keeping them, but not everyone will utilise the shuttle, meaning you might still have to wait a *very_long_time* for a taxi, especially at peak periods.
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by Merc1107 »

esperanceguy47 wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 9:36 pm the talking heads say if demand is there for after hours or weekends, they'll look into it.
I know it's been discussed (and there are issues with the operator having to pay Sat and/or Sun penalties), but it seems like something of an oversight not to have some sort of weekend service even if it is only a trial basis.
esperanceguy47 wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 9:36 pm ... there is no point in catching any of these services at any time, as none of them are intermixed as a circle route, for example, and if you catch a bus out to the other end of Castletown (for example), there'll be a particular wait for a return service to town, which will serve no purpose unless you happen to like exploring wetlands, which do exist in that spot.
It looks like there will be some opportunity to change between the 810-812 in Esperance depending on the time of day, although it looks like the aim is to keep just the single bus on the move versus multiple buses meeting in town, then doing a return trip.

Looking at the map, I'm inclined to ask why the 811 & 812 couldn't just be one route, with the 810 making a connection to them (e.g. at the Hospital), or being used to keep a combined 811-812 to a more direct alignment, with the 810 taking the less-direct route to West Beach?
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by 1whoknows »

It gives me the impression its been set up to fail.
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by Merc1107 »

1whoknows wrote: Sat Jun 18, 2022 7:37 am It gives me the impression its been set up to fail.
It certainly seems that way ... unfortunately these sorts of trials, and even some regular service changes (like the relocation of the 67 & 68 to the Busport) have a whiff of deliberate sabotage to them.
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by Enviro 500 »

Merc1107 wrote: Fri Jun 24, 2022 10:18 am
1whoknows wrote: Sat Jun 18, 2022 7:37 am It gives me the impression its been set up to fail.
It certainly seems that way ... unfortunately these sorts of trials, and even some regular service changes (like the relocation of the 67 & 68 to the Busport) have a whiff of deliberate sabotage to them.
The changes to 103 also have a similar ring.
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by esperanceguy47 »

After a month and a half, early results are in: the PT trial ain't looking too flash for Espy.
Many of the buses I've seen, come into town empty & go out empty. During the school holidays there were passengers, of course, but still not that many.
Part of the challenges of introducing this trial, was doing so during winter, when it's cold & wet and thus most ppl will use their cars or the taxis, plus with the exception of the Transwa stop on the main street, there are no shelters or information boards along the 3 routes (that I know of).
I've caught the 811 Castletown bus once, at the town terminus, only to go as far as the 2nd stop along The Esplanade, near my place - and I was the only passenger at that time.
Another challenge is, apart from the main terminus & the stops for the hospital and the Boulevard, there is nowhere to board/de-board in the CBD*, as it's primarily set out for angle parking.
PLUS! the buses go agonisingly slooooww, in order to keep to the ridiculous timing points, which means they'll take the full 20 mins to get to their destination, as opposed to five minutes flat.

Maybe the next school holidays will see things improve, and perhaps by the 6-month review there may be enough feedback to instigate some changes, like extending the West Beach route out to Twilight and/or putting on a couple of extra buses there and back.

*except for the 812 into town, with two stops along Dempster St, where you are still challenged by parking or driveways.
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by Merc1107 »

Aside from a lack of information at the principal in-town stops, what was done at the local level to advertise the trial service to locals? Were any flyers distributed, advertisements in the community newspaper, information distributed to caravan parks/motels/hotels, or posts on social media done to raise publicity?

Of the people who have attempted to utilise the service, do you think many are bothering to lodge feedback?
esperanceguy47
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by esperanceguy47 »

Merc1107 wrote: Sat Aug 20, 2022 11:09 am Aside from a lack of information at the principal in-town stops, what was done at the local level to advertise the trial service to locals? Were any flyers distributed, advertisements in the community newspaper, information distributed to caravan parks/motels/hotels, or posts on social media done to raise publicity?

Of the people who have attempted to utilise the service, do you think many are bothering to lodge feedback?
There was the two-day PTA representative in town in March, and the online consultation until May 6th.
There were articles in the local paper.
There was/is information on the Esperance Community page on Facebook.
One of the local service providers here has the timetable up on the window of the old station master's office (which she occasionally occupies), at the main terminus.
There's a giant wozzering map of the town & routes therein, on the community pinup board at the Boulevard.
There *were* timetables available next to the public phone at the shops.
According to the page 4 article in today's local paper [Headline: bus service needs more passengers]
- route 810, between Nulsen and town, has the best patronage, and that's what you would expect, given Nulsen's proclivity toward lower socio-economic living + the fact that the terminus in that area is where suburbia blends into bush.
- whereas route 812, between West Beach and town, has the least patronage, as you would also expect, given that's the ritzy part of town.

David Hynes says, quote, "no alterations had been made to any routes or stops" and "no formal passenger feedback had been received so far."
The Shire Pres says, quote, "the current bus service was fine but has a low usage because of the cold winter." "The numbers are quite low at the present time; we accept that."

The mid-year review is expected for December.

In my experience, Esperance ppl are quite MEH when it comes to new things... :| :roll:
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Re: Esperance public transport consultation

Post by Traklink »

Route 811 Service Changes
Sunday 19 February

Due to feedback from the recent survey on the Esperance Trial Bus Service, the service will continue with minor amendments to Route 811.

Route 811 to Esperance will commence at Esperance Care Services.

Route 811 from Esperance will terminate at Esperance Care Services.

Please visit the TransRegional website for an updated timetable.
https://pta.wa.gov.au/Portals/15/AA_DOC ... dgtQ%3d%3d
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