Mary Valley Show Society Inc

Transcription

1 MARY VALLEY PASSENGER TRANSPORT REPORT Page 1 October 2008 Mary Valley Show Society Inc

2 Acknowledgements, thanks and report availability The Mary Valley Passenger Transport Study was an initiative of the Mary Valley Show Society Inc and generously funded by the Queensland Government s Blue Print for the Bush Our Place Our Future Program. The report was prepared by Laurel Johnson for the Show Society. Many thanks to the Project Steering Committee including: Page 2 Roger Hogg (Mary Valley Show Society Inc) Kaili Parker-Price (Mary Valley Show Society Inc) Marie Hensley (Department of Communities) Kim Bowditch (Mary Valley Show Society Inc) Jane Roberts (Community Futures Task Force) Ken Cluff (Queensland Transport) and Cathy Kennedy (Queensland Transport) Thanks also to the many community leaders and service providers who informed the study including: Judy Kenworthy Ann O Donnell Carol Cordell Arnold Henzel Jan Watt Flo Vickery Neil Mahoney Helen Grogan Julie Worth Jeff Worth Steven Smith Elaine Bradley Steve Burgess Penny Ford Michael Morgan Bill Teniusson Copies of the report can be obtained from the Mary Valley Show Society Inc. Cover photo: Tour de Valley created by the Mary Valley Primary schools for the Scarecrow Festival

3 Contents Introduction... 5 The Approach... 5 Key Findings... 6 Strategies... 6 Study Area... 9 Transport Demand in the Mary Valley Older residents and residents with mobility issues Veterans Young people Journeys to Work Local and visiting services Sub-Regional Transport Services in the Mary Valley Rail services Long distance bus services Scheduled air services Public transport services School buses Taxi services Cycling Addressing transport disadvantage in the Mary Valley Scholarly Literature on Transport Disadvantage Improving transport outcomes for older people and those with mobility issues in the Mary Valley Improving transport outcomes for young people in the Mary Valley Improving public transport in small communities Providing community based transport services Coordinating transport services and resources Addressing the impacts of increasing fuel costs Promoting passenger transport services and subsidies Promoting Passenger Transport Services Utilising Technology Page 3

4 Strategies to improve passenger transport and mobility in the Mary Valley Definitions References Page 4 Attachment 1 Mary Valley Informant Interviews Attachment 2 Dagun and District Questionnaire Attachment 3 Mary Valley College Student Focus Group Attachment 4 Government Subsidies for Passengers Attachment 5 Youth Transport Services and Initiatives... 61

5 Introduction The Mary Valley Passenger Transport Study was commissioned by the Mary Valley Show Society Inc with the support of the Queensland Government s Blueprint for the Bush Our Place Our Future program. This report presents the findings of the study including strategies for enhancing passenger transport services and mobility in the Mary Valley. The announcement of the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam on the Mary River has mobilised the Mary Valley communities to consider the future of their area. A recurring theme identified in future planning endeavours is the need for improved passenger transport services for the Mary Valley. Community Futures Task Force consultations in September 2006 indicated that passenger transport was an issue for older residents. The recent Mary Valley Business Expansion and Retention (MVBEAR) program report (Parker-Price, 2008:23) affirms that public transport limits business and training opportunities. Transport needs are a major factor in many aspects of operating successful business ventures in this area...improved transport options specifically within the Mary Valley were identified as useful for the transportation of employees (Parker-Price, 2008:23). There is anecdotal evidence that one of the unintended consequences of the proposal to develop the Traveston Crossing Dam in the Mary Valley has been a breakdown of social networks that assist the transport disadvantaged to access goods and services. For example, neighbours and family members may have moved and this has affected the car sharing, car pooling, general private transport sharing that has previously been evident in the Mary Valley communities. There are currently no contracted taxi services or regular commuter bus services (other than school buses) to Gympie or Cooroy and consequently there are limited public transport connections to larger service centres and regional passenger transport networks. The Approach The study employed a range of methods including: Interviews with key informants (See Attachment 1 for details) A survey of northern residents of the Mary Valley (Dagun and district) Attachment 2 is a copy of the Questionnaire Review of literature (scholarly, comparative research, Queensland Transport and passenger transport information, Environmental Impact Statement for the Traveston Crossing Dam) Analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2006 Census data A focus group with young Mary Valley residents (Mary Valley College year 7-10 students, see Attachment 3 for details) To assist the reader, definitions are included at Page 54 of the report. Page 5

6 Key Findings The key finding is that there is unmet need for passenger transport services for individuals and groups in the Mary Valley and that local transport resources can be mobilised to meet this unmet need with relatively modest Government funding support 1. The unmet need pertains primarily to those residents with a disability, without access to private vehicles (too young or too old to drive) or the resources to fund private transport (lower socio-economic households, Mary Valley College, youth groups and other groups) including: Residents with a disability (162 or 4% of Mary Valley residents report needing assistance with core activities due to a disability including assistance with mobility) Young people (students aged 5-17 years are 771 or 21% of residents and 361 or 11% of residents are aged between 12 and 17 years (the pre-licensed ages desiring independent travel) Older people (406 or 10% of residents are aged over 65 years) Community members experiencing socio-economic disadvantage (19% of Mary Valley households reported earning less than $ per week and 4% of households had no motor vehicle in 2006). 1 The Hinterland Connect Bus Service costs the State Government $ per annum for a scheduled passenger transport service for a comparable population catchment in the vicinity of the Mary Valley. The Mary Valley strategies in this report are costed at a maximum of $ per annum. The area has a number of transport providers (school service and charter operators) with a commitment to the local community and a willingness to invest in expanded passenger transport services. Strategies Six strategies have been identified to improve passenger transport and mobility in the Mary Valley to deliver an equitable level of service for the Mary Valley communities. Some strategies have more than one action. 1. BROOLOO TO GYMPIE WEEK DAY BUS SERVICE Introduce a Government subsidised week day bus service from Brooloo to Gympie. The week day service could be an expansion of the current school bus service (Route S314) to assure availability of seats for public passengers and to operate during school holidays. By expanding the operation of the school bus service to school holidays, the Government will fund the additional cost of a school holiday service and not the total cost of a public transport service. Expand the route of the Brooloo to Gympie school bus service (Route S314) to better serve the main communities of the Mary Valley (Imbil, Kandanga and Amamoor) by introducing town loops. These town loops add approximately 2 kms to the Brooloo to Gympie trip but would promote the bus service and access most houses in the towns. Page 6

7 2. A SATURDAY BUS TO THE BEACH Trial (for 6 months) a Saturday public transport service from Amamoor to Cooroy via Carters Ridge which connects with the Noosa to Cooran via Cooroy and Pomona (route 632) public bus service from Cooroy to the Sunshine Coast. The service would offer student and pensioner discounts and would be promoted through the Mary Valley College and youth groups. 3. RESOURCE THE MARY VALLEY PASSENGERS Establish a locally managed recurrent transport fund ($10,000 $20,000 per annum) that resources the Mary Valley communities for subsidised travel in organised groups (such as school groups, Safe and Confident Living participants, the Country Women s Association, youth groups and young people, sporting teams and other incorporated and unincorporated groups). The fund manager could also issue cab charges to cover the full costs of transport in some circumstances (such as for young people to travel home safely in the evenings from Gympie and Cooroy, after events). The fund would be administered by a local incorporated organisation such as Mary Valley Inc and the fund management would publish funding guidelines (criteria for funding, funding limits, passenger contributions, eligibility and administration). The fund manager would report annually to the funding source (preferably Queensland Transport) to acquit and account for funds and to identify any patterns of travel that indicate demand for a public transport service. Establish and fund a Mary Valley transport coordination service that links passengers and potential passengers with transport options and transport information for local and sub-regional passenger transport services including health transport. This service will also link learner drivers to volunteer experienced driver mentors and their vehicles as a local resource for young learners. The transport coordination service will operate the Mary Valley transport fund. 4. PROMOTE PASSENGER TRANSPORT SERVICES Undertake an all household and business mail-out. The mail-out will provide information about the available local and sub-regional passenger transport services, booking requirements and subsidies in a creative, simple format. The same information will be made available in the local media such as websites (imbil.net.au and others), the Mary Valley Voice (quarterly advertising), in the Imbil library and Kandanga Information Centre and at real estate agents and regularly presented at the Mary Valley College, Youth and Seniors Groups. Ensure the consistent and creative branding of bus shelters (similar to the Queensland Transport qconnect and Translink initiatives that have developed a consistent look Page 7

8 to shelters and bus stops east of the Bruce Highway and in South East Queensland Provide branded bus stops and bright paint on the curbs in the towns promoting the expanded local bus service Where possible, ensure that bus stops comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 Provide secure timetables and booking information at all bus shelters and bus stops in the Mary Valley Mary Valley (comparable to the Tin Can Bay, Rainbow Beach and Maleny services). 6. SUPPORT CYCLING Invest in infrastructure to support cycling and walking around and between towns (cycle ways and lockable bicycle storage facilities in towns and at bus stops) Page 8 5. EQUITABLE TRANSPORT FUNDING Apply the taxi subsidy scheme to the Splash Bus and other similar flexible passenger transport services that may develop in the Mary Valley. Review the taxi subsidy scheme for non-urban areas and increase the upper limit (from $25.00) to reflect the high cost of taxi travel in these communities with no contracted taxi service Reduce the long distance passenger rail service fares to align with the City Train fares for passengers travelling from and to Cooroy and Gympie North railway stations from City Train stations (including Brisbane). Queensland Transport to investigate the feasibility of introducing an exempt taxi service contract area for the

9 Study Area The Mary Valley comprises a number of small rural settlements located in proximity to the north-south Mary Valley Highway. For the purpose of this study, the Mary Valley is defined as encompassing the area from Dagun in the north to Brooloo in the south and Carters Ridge to the east. Page 9 The communities are: Dagun Amamoor Kandanga Imbil Carters Ridge Bollier Brooloo Map 1 shows the Mary Valley study area and indicates: the location of the Mary Valley communities and distances between the communities and the major service centres of Gympie, Cooroy and Nambour

10 Page 10 Map 1 Mary Valley Study Area

11 Mary Valley characteristics Table 1 presents a selection of the characteristics of the Mary Valley communities. These characteristics are intended to describe the communities in terms of passenger transport demand and transport services. The characteristics are households without vehicles, young and older residents and nonworking residents. These community members typically demand passenger transport services. The information in Table 1 is sourced from the ABS Census 2006 data and key informant interviews (for Dagun information). Photo 1 is taken at Brooloo and shows the distances between the Mary Valley communities on the Mary Valley Highway and Gympie. Photo 1: Mary Valley highway signage Carters Ridge Carters Ridge is located east of the Mary Valley Highway and the Mary River. The community is a recent rural residential settlement that lacks the services of the other settlements. It is also a community that would be impacted by the Traveston Crossing Dam with anecdotal evidence of community disruption as people have already left the area in anticipation of the development of the dam. The Carters Ridge community relates strongly to Cooroy (rather than Gympie). Cooroy is the closest sub-regional centre. There are 2 school buses that travel 27kms from Carters Ridge to schools in Cooroy on school days. There is no other passenger transport in Carters Ridge though the Imbil based Splash Bus service will transport Carters Ridge passengers. Dagun The Dagun community in the northern area of the Mary Valley is located 14.5kms from Gympie. The area is rural and rural residential with a small Primary School, railway station and a community of approximately dispersed households. Due to the small residential population, Australian Bureau of Statistics data is not available for Dagun. Page 11 A household survey was distributed through the Dagun Post Office to collect household and transport information about the Dagun community. Ten (10) responses were received (representing a valid 16.7% sample or 10 out of 60 households).

12 The questionnaire is attachment 2 of this report. The survey results revealed: an average household size of 2.6 persons all respondents drove to work (one also caught the school bus) or worked at home on their property no respondent had used the Thursday Shopper or the Splash Bus (most did not know about either the Thursday Shopper Bus or the Splash Bus) 3 out of the 10 households (30%) had household members aged under 16 years 3 out of the 10 households (30%) had household members aged over 65 years Most respondents who drove to work, worked in Gympie If they didn t have access to private transport, most respondents would get a lift with someone or stay home, one respondent would use the school bus One respondent is 2kms from the school bus stop and would need to drive to the school bus stop to use that service The other communities in the Mary Valley transport study are: Amamoor (426 households) Kandanga (228 households) Imbil (307 households) Bollier (148 households) Brooloo (117 households) These communities are connected by the Mary Valley Highway that acts as the spine of the Mary Valley. Map 1 and Table 1 present information about each of the Mary Valley communities. Page 12

13 Table 1: Selected characteristics of Mary Valley communities 2006 Characteristics Dagun Amamoor (District) Kandanga (District) Imbil (District) Carters Ridge Bollier Brooloo MARY VALLEY Population 180 local knowledge Page 13 Number of households 60 local knowledge Number of households with no Car Workers who drive or are driven to work Workers who catch a bus to work n/a % n/a 95% 90% 83% 96% 96% 90% 92% n/a Residents >15 years and not in workforce n/a % % % % % 95 37% % Young People (12-17 years) n/a % 50 8% 63 8% 46 11% 56 14% 20 6% 361 9% School aged children (5-17 years) n/a % 94 16% % % % 60 18% % Older people (over 65 years) n/a % 84 14% % 42 10% 17 4% 25 8% % To Gympie (kms) n/a To Cooroy (kms) n/a School bus service Y to Gympie Y to Gympie Y to Gympie Y to Gympie Y to Cooroy Y to Imbil, then Gympie Y to Gympie Most areas Shoppers Bus (Thurs) Y Y Y Y N N Y Most areas Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 Census of Population and Housing Due to its small size, ABS data is not available for Dagun

14 Transport Demand in the Mary Valley Older residents and residents with mobility issues Table 1 shows that 10% or 406 Mary Valley residents are over 65 years of age. Further interrogation of the area s age profile reveals that 132 (4%) of the residents of the Mary Valley are over the age of 75 years and that these residents are fairly evenly represented at 4% of the population of each town. The greatest concentration of older residents (over 75 years) is in Imbil (43) and Amamoor (40). There is anecdotal evidence that to maintain independence, some older residents of the Mary Valley (those over 75 years) drive their private vehicles in the local towns and there are some safety concerns for these drivers and others. Queensland Health (2004) indicates that most Queenslanders live in good health until shortly before they die. It is the older age groups (those over 75 years) that have a greater number of acute illnesses as well as greater functional, behavioural, social and economic needs than those aged up to 75 years (Queensland Health, 2004, Older People:1). This older age group is most likely to need assistance with mobility and to require assisted passenger transport. The ABS data for Mary Valley indicates that 29 (22%) Mary Valley residents over 75 years of age reported the need for assistance with core activities (including mobility). Local transport services available to older Mary Valley residents are: School buses High steps and the wait time in Gympie for the return service at 3.00pm can limit the effectiveness of school buses for this group. Discounted travel is available for seniors card holders travelling with the Karrabee service) Thursday Shoppers Bus High steps and a long day for some older people. Discounted travel is available for seniors card holders Splash Bus High cost of travel at $1.70 per km could be a limitation, though the disability friendly small 11 seater vehicle may be comfortable for older passengers with impaired mobility. Route, destination and availability are relatively flexible. Other charter services Safe and Confident Living Program organises day trips for Mary Valley seniors. Passengers pay the full cost of their travel. Page 14

15 Jessie Witham Centre Centrecare service in Gympie travels to the Mary Valley to transport clients from their home to the day centre and return on Tuesdays. The service can negotiate other travel around Gympie with Mary Valley clients on the Tuesday that they attend the Day Centre such as visits to the Gympie Hospital, shops and other places. Clients must be Home and Community Care (HACC) eligible. Gympie Golden City Taxis Will transport residents from the Mary Valley to Gympie and other destinations. The fare from Imbil to Gympie is $74.00 for a taxi and $ for a maxi taxi (can carry 2 wheelchairs and 10 passengers) Photo 2 shows the Splash Bus, a disability friendly, demand responsive 11 seater bus service based in Imbil and servicing the Mary Valley. Photo 2: Disability friendly, demand responsive Splash Bus Page 15 For travel outside of the Mary Valley, Queensland Rail issues pensioners with four free one-way vouchers a year for the travel train services (this includes the long distance train services through Gympie on the North Coast railway line detailed in Table 6).

16 The Mary Valley Meals on Wheels currently has 12 clients. While the number can vary, the service averages 12 clients (Interview Mary Valley Meals on Wheels). Meals on Wheels clients are one indication of the number of frail aged and disabled Mary Valley residents and hence indicates possible demand for a disability friendly, fully demand responsive transport service (taxis are an example of a fully demand responsive door to door transport service where the passenger can prescribe the route, the destination and the time of travel). Another indication of mobility difficulties is the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 Census data that includes information on core activity need for assistance by age and sex for the Mary Valley communities. The census shows that 162 Mary Valley residents indicate they need assistance with core activities (core activities are grouped as self-care, mobility and communication). Of these 162 people (representing 4% of the Mary Valley population) many (70 residents) are middle aged (45-64 years). Veterans Veterans are entitled to subsidised travel to attend approved medical appointments. Totally and permanently disabled war veterans are eligible for limited free train travel vouchers. Veterans in the Mary Valley report that the veterans transport service will book and pay for the costs of taxi travel from home to hospital and medical appointments and return (including Brisbane Hospitals). Young people Table 1 shows 771 (21%) of residents of the Mary Valley are school aged (5-17 years of age). The Mary Valley school bus services carry both primary and secondary school students. The Mary Valley College reports declining enrolments with many secondary school students choosing Gympie schools and travelling to Gympie in private transport and on school buses. The Karrabee Bus and Coach school bus service is the main bus service travelling the Mary Valley from Brooloo to Gympie. That service reports that more secondary students (state school and private school) travel to Gympie schools than the Mary Valley College (P-10 school). Table 2 shows the number of eligible and paying secondary school students and the distribution of private and state school students travelling to Gympie from the Mary Valley. School Type Attended State School Private School Table 2: Secondary School Students Travelling on school buses from Mary Valley to Gympie, 2008 Eligible Secondary Students travelling to nearest school Secondary Students Fare Paying travelling to state school of choice Total Students TOTALS Page 16 Source: Karrabee Bus and Coach Records

17 Table 2 indicates that there are 55 students electing to attend a Gympie State High School and paying the school bus fare accordingly. This indicates demand for passenger transport from the Mary Valley to Gympie State Secondary Schools on school days. The Karrabee Bus and Coach Company is meeting the demand for transport from Mary Valley students attending secondary schools in Gympie. With modest Government funding (to be negotiated, but estimated at $ per annum), the company could increase the capacity of this service to provide seats for public passengers travelling from the Mary Valley to Gympie, including on school holidays. The Mary Valley College (Photo 3) is a Prep-Year 10 State School in Imbil with steadily declining enrolments. Students at Mary Valley College reported getting lifts with their parents as being key to meeting their transport needs (outside of school bus transport) including travel to: While reliance on private transport to access education, employment, socialisation and entertainment is common for young people, the long distances and limited range of destinations for young people in the Mary Valley positions this community for passenger transport solutions such as: Transport coordinator to link young people to passenger transport Mary Valley Transport Fund to subsidise the transport of young people (in school groups, youth groups or other groups) to events and activities Photo 3: Mary Valley College Page 17 Sports events and training Part-time employment in the Mary Valley and Gympie Friends houses in the Mary Valley. It is clear that there is a significant reliance on private vehicles for young people s socialisation and entertainment. In addition, the availability of school bus seats on each school day despite the full subscription of some school buses indicates that students are being privately transported to schools in Gympie and Cooroy (often catching the bus home from school) (Interview, bus operator, Dagun).

18 General community Table 3 provides some insights into the characteristics of the six most populace communities of the Mary Valley compared to the same characteristics for Cooloola Shire (at the time of the 2006 Census). Socio-economic disadvantage can correlate with transport disadvantage as those communities and individuals with less personal resources are generally least able to secure reliable, affordable transport and are most reliant on passenger transport services to meet daily needs. In locations where passenger transport is inadequate, the socio-economic disadvantage is exacerbated (Dodson, et al, 2004). The Imbil Post Master reports (face to face interview, Imbil Post Master) that up to 12 people fax their Centrelink forms as they have no means of private transport to lodge their forms in person at Centrelink in Gympie. Town Table 3: Characteristics of the Mary Valley Communities and Cooloola Shire, 2006 % Not in Workforce Amamoor % Kandanga % Bollier % Carters Ridge % Imbil % Brooloo % Degree or Higher Average Household Income (gross, weekly) Median Age 7% $ % $ % $ % $ % $ % $ Page 18 Mary Valley % 6% $ Cooloola Shire % 7% $ Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 Census of Population and Housing

19 Health-related transport The Queensland Ambulance Service provides non-emergency medical transport for eligible patients to safely travel to medical appointments. Eligibility is assessed by the patient s doctor (GP or hospital based) who provides the patient with a booking form. For Mary Valley residents, a Queensland Ambulance Service passenger transport vehicle will transport them for free (if they are a Queensland resident) to attend the medical appointment. The limitations of the service are: Strict eligibility criteria (patient must be disfigured or require stretcher transport or be otherwise unable to travel on standard passenger transport) The service operates from Gympie and the drivers commence work at 8.00am so, Mary Valley residents can be late for early medical appointments The service is not individualised and patients must wait for the last patient in the vehicle to complete their medical appointment before the return journey commences The service needs to be booked 48 hours before the time of travel. The Gympie Hospital is 40kms from the southern area of the Mary Valley (Brooloo is 40kms from Gympie) and offers a range of services including: Palliative care Chemotherapy Maternity Surgery unit Paediatric unit Accident and Emergency service (24 hours) and others. The most common reasons for admission to the Gympie Hospital for all patients in 2005/2006 were chemotherapy and chest pain (Queensland Health, 2008, diagnosis related groups data). The main referral hospitals for the Gympie Hospital are the Royal Brisbane and Women s Hospitals at Herston, Brisbane (180kms) and the Nambour Hospital (80kms). Patients transferred from Gympie to these hospitals or needing to attend these more distant hospitals for specialised treatment are eligible for Government funding support for travel and accommodation expenses (for information on the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme refer Attachment 4). Page 19

20 Emergency response The Gympie Ambulance Station at Alfred Street includes the Mary Valley in its service catchment for emergency response. Imbil First Responders There is a Queensland Ambulance Service First Responder Group in Imbil that services the Mary Valley. The First Responders are local volunteers, trained and supplied with QAS equipment to administer first aid at accident and emergency scenes prior to the arrival of advanced medical care (including an ambulance). The First Responders use their own vehicles to attend to incidents, though it is not intended that they transport patients in their vehicles unless instructed by the QAS (this is rare). The Imbil First Responders Group is managed by the Cooroy Ambulance Service. Journeys to Work Table 1 shows that the majority of Mary Valley resident workers (92%) drive or are driven to work (ABS, 2006 Census). This figure is comparable to the 87% of employed Cooloola Shire residents who indicated that they drive or are driven to work (ABS, 2006 Census). There were 40 or 4% of employed residents who reported travelling to work by truck in the Mary Valley compared to 3% for the total Cooloola Shire (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006). While it is unlikely that Mary Valley residents who commute to work will forego private transport for passenger transport the rising costs of fuel may impact the decision to drive to work in the future, though this is not proven and there are few alternatives available. Figure 1 shows a general and widely accepted travel model. The figure shows a trip chain whereby commuters not only travel to work, but carry out incidental trips in conjunction with the journey to work (such as shopping and eating out). Other chains in the journey to work trip include dropping children at school, TAFE and child care. These incidental trips are not well supported by passenger transport services with fixed travel times, routes and destinations. In rural communities such as the Mary Valley it is likely that a journey to work to Gympie would also be associated with shopping and eating out as opportunities for these in the Mary Valley are limited. Page 20 Employed Imbil residents were more likely to cycle (9 people or 4%) or walk (32 people or 13%) to work than any other Mary Valley residents, hence the comparatively lower percentage commuting to work by car from Imbil. For example, the Hyne Imbil Mill (Yabba Creek Road) is in walking distance to the town and some young people with part-time employment (Mary Valley College focus group) indicated that they walked and cycled to jobs in Imbil.

21 Figure 1: A typical trip chain Common Mary Valley occupations Table 4 shows that many of the Mary Valley resident workforce report their occupations as farmers and farm managers (14%), sales persons and sales assistants (3%) and forestry, farm and garden workers (3%). Page 21 Source: en.wikibooks.org/fundamentals _of_transportation/trip_generation Of all the people who indicated they worked in Gympie in 2006, fewer travelled by bus (29 people) than by taxi (30 people), despite a scheduled passenger bus service connecting Gympie to surrounding communities 2. The Karrabee bus and coach company has indicated that it has capacity to carry public passengers on school buses travelling on school days from Brooloo to Gympie. Two buses travel from Brooloo to Gympie each school day, arriving in Gympie at 8.40am. The return trip leaves Gympie at 3.00pm. The timing of the return trip to the Mary Valley from Gympie could limit the use of the service by commuters. The combined occupations of farmer, farm manager, farm, forestry and garden workers accounts for 246 or 19% of the Mary Valley workforce. While this study did not interrogate the place of work of Mary Valley residents, it is assumed that many employees in the farming industry work locally either walking or driving to work. Many farmers use their vehicle in their working day and passenger transport does not meet the needs of this group. The sales assistants could be employed in the higher order retail centres of Gympie, Cooroy and the Sunshine Coast. The casualisation of the retail sector and extended retail trading hours could inhibit the use of passenger transport by Mary Valley based sales workers. The businesses surveyed for the MVBEAR project (2008:17-19) were typical of Mary Valley businesses most had fewer than 5 employees and many identified the owner-operator as the only employee. This is a typical profile in small farming areas. The next section profiles the most common occupations of Mary Valley residents to identify possible demand for a commuter service from the Mary Valley to Gympie. 2 The Australian Bureau of Census 2006 data has been analysed to identify information on where people work. The address of each employed person s main place of work, in the week prior to census night is used to code to a destination zone. Gympie is a destination zone.

22 Town Table 4: Occupations and workforce, Mary Valley Most Common Occupation Amamoor 79 (16%) Farmers and Farm Managers Kandanga 37 (16%) Farmers and Farm Managers Bollier 17 (9%) Farmers and Farm Managers Second Most Common Occupation 22 (5%) Sales Assistant and Sales Person 15 (6%) Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers 8 (4%) Sales Assistant and Sales Person Total Workforce The forestry sector is a key local employer with two Hyne Mills close to Imbil (Yabba Creek Road and Melawondi Road) and expansive forest plantations throughout the Mary Valley. The forestry industry provides employment for over 180 workers at Imbil. There is no passenger transport to the two Hyne Mills in Imbil and consequently most of the mill workers drive to work or car pool. The mills operate on two shifts from 5.30am to 11.00pm making passenger transport unfeasible (conversation with Mill employee) and possibly accounts for the relatively high proportion of Imbil residents who walk or cycle to work (17% compared to 6% for the Cooloola Shire). Page 22 Carters Ridge 10 (6%) Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers Imbil 23 (22%) Farmers and Farm Managers Brooloo 13 (13%) Farmers and Farm Managers MARY VALLEY (study area) 179 (14%) Farmers and Farm Managers Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006 Census 8 (5%) Personal Carers and Assistants 8 (5%) Truck Drivers 20 (19%) Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers 7 (7%) Sales Assistant and Sales Person 37 (3%) Sales Assistant and Sales Person Local and visiting services As noted in the social impact assessment for the Traveston Crossing Dam, the Mary Valley communities display functional social capital evidenced by: Community networks with high community capacity with significant numbers of community organisations, volunteer programs, networks or communities attached to schools, community and volunteer networks, community groups and personal networks Stable well-functioning and sustainable and community stability strongly influences the economic stability and have a long term demonstrated ability to manage current and future developments within the constraints of limited resources and within the ebb and flow of seasons (SKM, 2007:2-34 to 2-35).

23 The Mary Valley communities offer a range of local services and groups including: Imbil GP services 5 days a week Imbil pharmacy service Imbil and Kandanga Post Offices The Imbil library Imbil Friendly Grocers Imbil and Kandanga Bowls Clubs The Imbil general practitioner service (5 days a week), the Queensland Government Agent Program (QGAP) Office at the Kandanga Post Office, the Kandanga One Stop Shop and others identified in this report provide the Mary Valley communities with quality local service. The Kandanga One Stop Shop (Photo 4) provides information on the Traveston Crossing Dam proposal and other Government and non-government services. The shop is adjacent to the Lifeline counselling and support service. Page 23 Imbil First Responders Meals on Wheels Safe and Confident Living Program Carters Ridge shop Carters Ridge Newsletter Kandanga Lifeline Kandanga swimming pool Mary Valley Show Society Mary Valley Inc Imbil Police station (serves the Mary Valley) Brooloo Rural Fire Brigade Dagun Community Group and monthly community BBQ and others. Photo 4: Kandanga One Stop Shop The local availability of services generally based in large centres (such as medical, banking and Government services) can ease passenger transport demand.

24 Internet usage In addition to locally available services, other non-transport strategies that facilitate access to higher order services are internet based. The internet provides access to personal banking, buying and selling of goods, health and other information that can reduce reliance on the larger centres. Page 24 Table 5 shows the internet connections in households in the Mary Valley communities. Table 5: Mary Valley household internet connections 2006 Town Households with internet connection Amamoor 241 (55%) Kandanga 109 (52%) Bollier 84 (57%) Carters Ridge 102 (68%) Imbil 153 (50%) Brooloo 63 (55%) Mary Valley 752 (56%) Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006 Census In addition to home and school based internet access, the Mary Valley residents can access the internet at the Imbil Library (three computers) and the Kandanga Information Centre (three computers).

25 Photo 5 shows the Imbil Library. The library provides three free internet accessible computers. Library hours are: Tuesday and Thursday 9.30am-12.30pm Wednesday 2.00pm-5.00pm. Page 25 Photo 5: Imbil Library

26 Sub-Regional Transport Services in the Mary Valley Rail services The Mary Valley runs north-south and parallel to the North Coast railway line. Gympie North, Cooran, Pomona and Cooroy have passenger railway stations in proximity to the Mary Valley (15kms to 40kms, depending on the location of the town). There are 5 long distance passenger railway services operating on the North Coast railway line. The services are the Cairns Sunlander, Cairns Tilt Train, Rockhampton Tilt Train, Spirit of the Outback and Bundaberg Tilt Train. The Sunlander service travels northbound on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday and southbound on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. 30 Tilt Train services travel the North Coast railway line (15 south bound and 15 north bound). Table 6 shows the time, day and cost of south bound and north bound railway services that stop at Cooroy and Gympie railway stations. South Bound Table 6: Passenger railway services to Gympie North and Cooroy Railway Stations Train Service Days Gympie Cooroy Brisbane Cost (Full) Cairns Sunlander Wed, Fri, Sun 11.50am 1.15pm 3.55pm $40.70 Cairns Tilt Mon,Thur, Sat 6.32am 7.06am 9.35am $39.60 Rockhampton Tilt Daily 12.05pm 12.38pm 2.40pm $39.60 Bundaberg Tilt Mon to Fri 7.05am 7.38am 9.40am $39.60 Spirit of the Outback Mon, Thur 3.45am 4.30am 7.20am $39.60 City Train Mon to Fri 6.00am 6.39am North Bound 1.48pm 8.50am 4.00pm $18.80 Train Service Days Brisbane Cooroy Gympie Cost (Full) Cairns Sunlander Sun, Tue, Thur 8.55am 1.25pm 11.30am 4.05pm 12.35pm 4.55pm $40.70 Cairns Tilt Mon, Wed, Fri 6.25pm 8.27am 9.02am $39.60 Rockhampton Tilt Sun to Fri Sun and Fri 11.00am 5.00pm 12.58pm 6.54pm 1.31pm 7.28pm $39.60 Bundaberg Tilt Mon to Thur 5.00pm 6.54pm 7.28pm $39.60 Page 26 Spirit of the Outback Tue Sat 6.25pm 1.10pm 8.46pm 3.36pm 9.40pm 4.25pm $39.60 City Train Mon to Fri Mon to Fri 10.58am 5.40pm 1.29pm 7.55pm No service 8.33pm $18.80 Source: Travel Train and Queensland Rail web sites, accessed September 2008

27 There are courtesy coach connections from the Gympie North railway station to Gympie coach station and the Gympie RSL. Gympie North railway station is the northern extent of the City Train passenger rail service connecting Gympie North, Cooran, Pomona and Cooroy to Nambour, Brisbane and the South East Queensland railway and busway networks. Photo 6 shows the Mary Valley Rattler Steam Train. While primarily a tourist service, residents report occasional use of the service by locals (particularly from Dagun station to Gympie). Photo 6: Mary Valley Rattler Steam Train Page 27 There is disparity in fares between the Sunlander, Tilt Train (long distance) and City Train services from Brisbane to Gympie North and Cooroy. The longer distance, more frequent services cost $39.60 and the City Train service (travelling zones 1-23 with one return trip daily to Gympie North) costs a maximum of $18.80 per trip. The travel time is comparable for each service at about 3 hours. While the higher cost of the long distance train service is logical given the higher level of staffing and service provided, the higher fare is unfortunate for Mary Valley and region residents. The 5 long distance train services provide a regular, scheduled passenger service to Brisbane and the long distance train services are an effective week-end service that links through Roma Street Station to the Brisbane airports. Mary Valley Heritage Railway The Mary Valley Heritage Railway operates services from Gympie to Dagun, Amamoor, Kandanga and Imbil railway stations and shorter trips from Gympie to Amamoor. The services are primarily for tourists, offering steam train and motor rail travel experiences through the Mary Valley. The services travel Tuesday (Gympie-Amamoor return), Wednesday (Gympie-Imbil return), Saturday (Gympie-Amamoor return) and Sunday (Gympie-Imbil return). The full adult fares are $36.00 Gympie to Imbil return and $20.00 Gympie to Amamoor return with discounts for pensioners and seniors, children, families and groups. Some local people report that the train is only offered as a return service to Gympie but the Mary Valley Heritage Railway confirm

28 that the service is also available to passengers as a one-way service (Interview, Mary Valley Heritage Railway). The historical railway stations are well maintained and provide a venue for local markets and activities for the train passengers as shown in photo 7 of the Imbil Passenger Railway Station. Photo 7: Imbil Passenger Railway Station Long distance bus services The Bruce Highway to the east of the Mary Valley Highway effectively connects a number of communities to key destinations both south and north including Gympie (to the north) and Nambour and Brisbane (to the south). Two long distance buses provide daily (return) services from Brisbane to Cairns with scheduled stops at the Matilda Roadhouse at Kybong and Jaycee Way in Gympie and a bus stop at the Cooroy Motel. The Greyhound service has 6 daily services to the Matilda Roadhouse at Kybong and 3 daily services to the Cooroy Motel travelling northbound. Two of the Greyhound services are scheduled to travel to the Brisbane airports and all south bound services will travel to the Brisbane airports if requested by passengers. Table 7 provides details of the two bus services. Page 28 South Bound Table 7: Gympie and Cooroy long distance bus services Bus Service Days Jaycee Way Matilda Roadhouse Cooroy Motel Brisbane Transit Centre Cost Greyhound Daily 3.05am 8.30am 11.10am 11.05am 1.30pm 2.40pm 4.00am 9.30am 12.10pm 12.05pm 2.30pm 3.40pm No service 9.40am 12.30pm 12.25pm No service 3.55pm 6.05am 12.55pm 3.30pm* 2.30pm 6.00pm* 6.20pm $35.65 Premier Daily 8.40am 9.25am 9.45am 12.30pm $25.00

29 North Bound Bus Service Days Brisbane Transit Centre Greyhound Daily 7.00am 7.45am 10.30am* 12.00pm 2.30pm 7.30pm Cooroy Motel 10.00am No service 1.25pm No service 5.05pm No service Matilda Roadhouse 11.00am 11.05am 2.25pm 3.05pm 6.10pm 10.25pm Jaycee Way 11.15am 11.20am No service 3.25pm 6.30pm 10.45pm Cost $35.65 Premier Daily 2.00pm 4.40pm 5.40pm 5.50pm $25.00 *These services stop at the Brisbane airports A Translink bus service trial connects Cooran, Pomona and Cooroy railway stations to Tewantin, Noosa and other coastal communities. This service commenced in March The Cooran to Noosa via Pomona and Cooroy service is designed to integrate rail and bus services and connect residents to the coastal activity centres. There are 2 morning and 2 afternoon services Monday to Friday from Cooran to Cooroy. Three of these services travel on from Cooroy to Tewantin, Noosa and Noosa Heads. There are three services on week-ends and public holidays. Younger Mary Valley residents have expressed interest in visiting Noosa and the Maroochydore for socialising and shopping. Long distance bus services Queensland Transport funds some long distance bus services to connect rural and remote residents to higher order services in larger centres. Without Queensland Transport funding, these services would not operate as they are not commercially viable. Across Queensland there are 10 services that provide access to 46 rural and remote communities. Examples are: Rockhampton-Mt Morgan-Biloela-Moura-Theodore-Miles- Toowoomba Brisbane Charleville-Roma-Toowoomba-Brisbane Cunnamulla-St George-Moonie-Dalby-Toowoomba Similar to these more remote communities, Mary Valley residents are reliant on larger centres (such as Gympie and the Sunshine Coast) for higher order medical, education, business and other services. The public funding of a transport service from the Mary Valley to Gympie is necessary to ensure that Mary Valley residents without access to private vehicles are connected to the goods and services of the larger centres. Page 29 A Saturday public transport connection from the Mary Valley to Cooroy and the Cooran to Noosa via Pomona and Cooroy service could enhance the service s viability and would link the Mary Valley and Sunshine Coast.

30 Scheduled air services The Maroochydore domestic airport (Sunshine Coast Airport) is 76kms from Imbil (1 hour driving time). The Sunshine Coast Airport offers passengers regular, scheduled flights to Sydney and Melbourne and transfer by road (airport shuffle services) from Sunshine Coast Airports to the Brisbane domestic and International airports. The airport supports Jet Star, Virgin Blue and Tiger airline services. The schedule is: Daily flights to Sydney and Melbourne (Jet Star and Virgin Blue) Daily flights from Sydney and Melbourne (Jet Star and Virgin Blue) Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday flights to Melbourne (Tiger airlines) Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday flights from Melbourne (Tiger airlines). To fly to or from the north on a scheduled flight, Mary Valley residents must travel south to the Brisbane domestic airport. Passenger transport to the Sunshine Coast, Hervey Bay-Fraser Coast and Brisbane Airports from the Mary Valley requires considerable planning and knowledge of local transport options (such as the Splash Bus and school bus services, and connecting passenger transport services to Maroochydore, Hervey Bay and Brisbane). Passenger transport from the Mary Valley to Brisbane domestic and international airports could take more than 5 hours. To connect to the Gympie North railway station options are the Splash Bus at $63.00 or the school bus at $5.00 from Imbil (the school bus is cheaper from the northern towns of the Mary Valley). The school bus service does not connect with the 6.00am Translink (QRail) service from Gympie North railway station, but it does connect with the long distance coaches to Brisbane at Jaycee Way. Page 30 The Sunshine Coast Airport does not provide flights to Brisbane or to northern destinations. Imbil is equidistant from the Hervey Bay-Fraser Coast Airport and the Brisbane domestic and International airports (160kms or just over 2 hours drive time). The Hervey Bay-Fraser Coast Airport has daily scheduled flights to and from Brisbane and Sydney with Jet Star, Qantas Link and Virgin Blue. There are no scheduled flights to northern destinations.

31 Two options for an Imbil resident to travel to Brisbane airport on a school day are: OPTION 1 travel on the school bus from Imbil at 7.45am arrive at Jaycee Way at Gympie at 8.35am catch the Premier Bus to Brisbane at 8.40am arrive in Brisbane at Roma Street railway station at 12.30pm and travel by train from Roma Street railway station to Brisbane airport at a total cost of $43.50 to Brisbane domestic airport OPTION 2 travel by Splash Bus at 6.30am to Gympie North railway station travel by Bundaberg Tilt train from Gympie North Railway Station at 7.05am arrive at Roma Street railway station at 9.40am travel by train to Brisbane airport at a total cost of $ to Brisbane airport In an assessment of the north coast (Brisbane to Cairns) transport corridor, AusLink (AusLink 2006:6 in Queensland Transport, 2007:21) found that air transport will grow rapidly (averaging over 5% per annum) and will expand its dominance of the long distance passenger travel market. Connections to the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane airports from the Mary Valley need improvement for the Mary Valley to realise the benefits of air travel. Public transport services The low population of the Mary Valley (3912 residents in the study area) is an inhibiting factor for a commercially viable, regular bus service to Gympie (a 41km trip from Brooloo in the south) or Cooroy (a 27km trip from Carters Ridge in the Eastern area of the Mary Valley). The Karrabee Bus and Coach Company operated a week day public bus service from Brooloo to Gympie for 18 months and reported a per annum loss of approximately $ For a Mary Valley public bus service to be effective, it will need to attract Government funding. The State Government could fund the variable cost of the Brooloo to Gympie school bus service to operate on school holidays. This maximises the Government s existing investment in the school bus service and provides a regular week day passenger transport service for the Mary Valley to Gympie and return. Photo 8 shows the Karrabee school bus. The Karrabee Bus and Coach Company s Brooloo to Gympie school bus service is effectively the only public transport service in the Mary Valley that links the communities (other than Carters Ridge) to Gympie. With marginal additional funding, the service could provide a public passenger service on each week day (including school holidays). Page 31

32 Photo 8: Karrabee school bus School buses School buses are provided to transport primary and secondary students to their closest school. Many students are eligible for free bus transport if they reside distant from their closest school (3.2kms for primary and 4.8kms for secondary State School students). In the absence of other formal passenger transport services, school bus operators are a possible provider of public passenger transport. Page 32 The availability of school buses for public transport depends on the availability of seats. Additionally, school buses operate according to school schedules and are only available to public passengers during school semesters and at limited times on school days. School bus routes are designed to meet the needs of school students including deviations from the main routes into rural and rural residential areas. These factors can limit the viability of school buses as a regular public transport service. Population Limits for Contracted Public Transport Services Queensland Transport has a policy to provide funding support for contracted public transport services where the population of a community is greater than 7500 persons. The population threshold criteria is not strictly applied as issues such as the availability of a bus contractor, distance to surrounding communities, rates of demand for a service and other matters are taken into account before a public transport service is implemented. The utilisation of school buses for public passengers could also be inhibited by the Commonwealth Disability Standards that require that public passenger transport be equipped with low floor buses and that public passenger bus stops provide a wheelchair bay. While school buses are exempt from the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport , if they promote a passenger transport service the guidelines could apply. Currently, school 3 The Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 are a standard under Subsection 31(1) of the Disability Discrimination Act The purpose of the standard is to enable public transport operators and providers to remove discrimination from public transport services.

33 buses are not required to be wheelchair accessible and steps on school buses can be high. Pension discounts for travel on a school bus are at the discretion of the school bus operator providing the service as the operators are not subsidised for public passengers. Issues such as the duty of care for children are raised as a constraint to the promotion of school buses as public transport. The funding of school transport in Queensland is shared between the Departments of Transport and Education. School bus operators may be required to pay additional operating costs such as operator accreditation and insurance fees to operate a non-school bus run and contract exclusivity may inhibit the delivery of transport services in other contracted areas. School buses are a publicly funded transport resource in rural communities. This study recommends some attention to the policy and operational issues for the public use of school buses such as: Funding the Brooloo to Gympie school bus service to provide services on non-school days (student free days, school holidays) Subsidising pensioner travel on all school buses in the Mary Valley Expanding the Brooloo to Gympie school bus route to better service the Mary Valley communities (short loops in Imbil, Kandanga and Amamoor to provide a comprehensive service for town dwellers) Promoting school bus services to public passengers Taxi services The Mary Valley is not considered by Queensland Transport to be a viable area for a contracted taxi service. Nevertheless, the Splash Bus (not a taxi service, but operating as a demand responsive service) operators are planning to acquire a second 11 seater disability friendly bus early in 2009 (face to face and telephone interviews September 2008) to meet the demand for the service generating from the Mary Valley. This research recommends that Queensland Transport investigate the possibility of an exempted taxi service contract for the Mary Valley. Cycling Local Cycling Young people (Refer Attachment 3) report cycling to visit friends and to attend part-time jobs in Imbil and other Mary Valley towns. There are limited local cycle paths (there are some shared foot paths) and no bicycle lock or storage facilities at the bus stops on the Mary Valley Highway. An investment in cycle ways (shared walking/cycling paths) and bicycle infrastructure (such as lockable bike racks at shops and bus stops) will encourage cycling for travel to local services and to passenger transport stops. Page 33

34 Sub-Regional Cycling The emergence of cycling as a potential sub-regional transport option is reflected in the Wide Bay Burnett Integrated Transport Plan Discussion Paper (Queensland Transport 2007) and is encouraged by Queensland Transport and the Department of Main Roads. The Discussion Paper identifies possible cycle way connections between Maryborough and Hervey Bay (35kms) and Bundaberg and Bargara (13kms). The possibility of an annual competitive cycle tour of the Mary Valley should be investigated as one means of raising funds for the Mary Valley Transport Fund. Page 34 The effectiveness of sub-regional cycle ways is dependent on terrain, distance and safety (particularly if the cycle way is shared road space). In the Mary Valley, a cycle way connection between the northern communities (from Amamoor 19kms to Gympie) to Gympie is feasible. The Main Roads Cycling on State Controlled Roads Policy states Cyclists are legitimate users of the Queensland road network and as such the planning for, and design, construction, maintenance and operation of state-controlled roads should be undertaken on the basis that cyclists will use the network (Department of Main Roads, 2004) The recent Cycle Queensland Bundaberg to Brisbane event attracted over 1200 riders who traversed the Mary Valley from Pomona to Kenilworth (via Traveston Crossing Road) as part of that tour. Commercial cycle tours such as the Cycle Queensland tour provide funds to local communities as cyclists are a captured customer market.

35 Addressing transport disadvantage in the Mary Valley Scholarly Literature on Transport Disadvantage In a comprehensive review of Australian and International transport disadvantage research and methods, Dodson et al (2004) identify a range of concepts for understanding the relationship between transport access and social status. Concepts raised that are of relevance to the Mary Valley study are: Locational disadvantage: an inability to access the whole range of facilities and resources which not only improve well-being but better position households to take advantage of resources available to improve their longerterm chances (Maher et al 1992 in Dobson et al 2004:19). Transport accessibility: spatial distance or ease of geographic access to transport services such as public transport. Connectivity: the extent to which the transport network (primarily public transport modes) provides options for connecting to desired activities and services. Network Integration: the extent of public transport integration (routes, wait times, transfers, fares, ticketing, timetabling). These four concepts are evident in the Mary Valley in particular: Locational Disadvantage with Senior Mary Valley College Staff reporting students missing out on social, training and work experience opportunities due to the high cost and limited availability of transport (both for organised school excursions and travel outside of school) Network Connectivity and Integration is limited by the distance to sub-regional and regional transport interchanges and the timetabling of these services. The Matilda Roadhouse at Kybong (for access to long distance bus services) and the Gympie North Railway Station (for access to the North Coast line passenger rail services) are key transport interchanges for Mary Valley residents and neither is serviced by the school bus (the only affordable and regular passenger transport service). The Splash Bus will transport Mary Valley residents to these interchanges at a cost of $1.70 per km. The school bus will service the Jaycee Way long distance bus stop in Gympie. This section outlines a number of approaches that could be considered for improving transport outcomes in the Mary Valley. Page 35

36 Improving transport outcomes for older people and those with mobility issues in the Mary Valley Particular transport issues facing older residents and those with mobility issues include: No public passenger transport service No contracted taxi service in the Mary Valley Maintaining licences and continuing to drive beyond capacity (due to limited alternatives to private car use) An expensive $74.00 taxi fare from Imbil to Gympie (reducing to $49.00 if the person is eligible for the taxi subsidy) The $25.00 taxi subsidy limit per trip (not an adequate subsidy considering the distance between centres and the lack of a contracted taxi service in the Mary Valley) No taxi subsidy for the Splash Bus (not a taxi service but operating as a demand responsive local transport service) In areas with a contracted taxi service, eligible residents can use taxis and pay half the price of the fare up to a total fare of $50 (the Queensland Government pays the fare balance). 100% of the fare more than $50 is paid by the passenger. The taxi subsidy scheme is currently being reviewed and that review will consider the possibility of increasing the $25.00 subsidy limit (interview, Queensland Transport). Although the Mary Valley is not currently a taxi contract area, it is evident that some residents (due to impaired mobility) are eligible for this subsidy. The taxi subsidy scheme should be applied to demand responsive passenger transport in the Mary Valley (such as the Splash Bus and other future services) as the area has no contracted taxi service. The taxi subsidy scheme maximum rebate of $25.00 per trip should be reviewed to acknowledge the high costs of taxi travel in areas covering vast distances, such as the southern area of the Mary Valley to Gympie. Improving transport outcomes for young people in the Mary Valley Particular transport issues facing young rural residents include: No week-end public transport service Young people have an expressed desire to access social and recreational opportunities on the Sunshine Coast on week-ends Models of operating transport services that could be introduced and adapted to meet the transport needs of young people in the Mary Valley. Attachment 5 presents a table of selected youth transport services and initiatives from other areas of Australia that could be adapted and applied in the Mary Valley. The services range from driver training to innovative transport solutions. Page 36

37 A preferred model for the Mary Valley for young people accessing social and recreational activities is the Byron Area Travel Bus (BATBUS). In this service model, young people plan with their friends to attend a venue of their choice for social and recreational purposes. The group organiser contacts the transport coordinator and provides the origin and destination, number of passengers and preferred time for the trip. The coordinator then matches the groups travel needs to a range of transport providers (community buses, tourist operators, private bus companies, volunteers with comprehensively insured vehicles, self drive buses and vans) to broker the most suitable vehicle for the best price that is available at the requested time. In the BATBUS service model, the travelling group must have at least 50% of passengers aged between 12 and 25 years and from Byron Shire. The group must be a minimum of 8 people for a local trip and 10 for a long distance trip although some flexibility on numbers is possible. The BATBUS does not own a vehicle though it does have a pool of volunteer drivers with vehicles and chaperones. The combined reliance on young people to self-organise (the secondary schools are involved) and the transport resource knowledge and networks of the coordinator make the service affordable. The service operates with NSW State Government funding of $ per annum. Bus travellers make a small contribution to the costs of the transport. The BATBUS does not provide a service that is competing with existing contracted bus services. As the bus does not travel to licensed venues, this model may not meet the needs of some older travellers. The BATBUS model could be effective in the Mary Valley with: availability of local passenger transport vehicles and drivers cooperation of the Mary Valley College and youth groups funding support from a Mary Valley Transport Fund a Mary Valley Transport Coordination service In addition to organised group travel, a Saturday bus service 6 month trial connecting the Mary Valley communities (Amamoor and south) via Carters Ridge to Cooroy to connect with the Noosa to Cooran via Cooroy and Pomona (route 632) service to the Sunshine Coast will provide young people and other communities members with a bus connection to the coast. Page 37

38 Improving public transport in small communities There are currently two Government funded contracted public bus services connecting small communities to regional centres in the vicinity of the Mary Valley. These services provide evidence of Queensland Government support for public transport services in small communities (communities below the 7500 resident threshold). 1. The Tin Can Bay (2096 residents) and Rainbow Beach (1000 residents) bus service travels a distance of 77kms to Gympie in the morning and returns in the afternoon. There is one return service a day on week days and no week-end or public holiday service. 2. The Hinterland Connect Bus Service Trial connects Maleny (1293 residents), Montville (853 residents), Flaxton (919 residents) and Mapleton (1440 residents) and travels a distance of 26kms to Nambour (return) 4 times a day (including Saturday and Sunday). Due to the similar distances between the communities and the regional centre, the Hinterland Connect Service is of particular interest to the Mary Valley research. Hinterland Connect Bus Service trial The Blackall Range communities of Mapleton, Flaxton, Montville and Maleny have a combined population of just over 4500 people (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006 Census). The regional centre of Nambour is located to the north east of these communities and has a General Hospital, a TAFE, and a passenger railway station on the North Coast railway line with regular City Train services south to Brisbane and long distance train services south and north bound. The towns are on the Blackall Range tourist drive, promoted for the spectacular views from the road to the Sunshine Coast, picturesque settings and quality built form, art galleries, cafes, bed and breakfast and luxury accommodation. During the month of July 2005, Maroochy Tourism recorded nearly 1300 visitors to Montville which has a resident population of only 850 people (Johnson, 2007:23). The Blackall Range communities and their Councillor lobbied for 4 years for a public bus service. In response, the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and Queensland Transport negotiated the shared funding (30% Council:70% Queensland Transport) of a six month trial bus service to connect the Mapleton, Flaxton, Montville and Maleny communities to Nambour. It was agreed that, to be viable, the service would need to operate at 30% cost recovery (approximately 8 passengers per trip). The service targets both resident and tourist travellers with 4 return services a day 7 days a week. The service is exceeding the target of 8 passengers per trip on week days (averaging 10.6 per trip), though the week-end services are below expectations with an average of 5.6 passengers per trip on a Saturday and 5 passengers per trip on a Sunday. Due to the high level of patronage, the bus service trial will be extended to July Interrogation of the passenger types shows that most passengers are students (37%) and pensioners (33%), followed by adults Page 38

39 (28%) and children (2%), (Queensland Transport, 2008). The service does not appear to attract high numbers of commuters though the timetabling of the service (first service departs Maleny for Nambour at 6.55am and the last service departs Nambour for Maleny at 5.10pm) facilitates commuting to employment in Nambour. Table 8 shows characteristics of the four Blackall Range communities served by the Hinterland Connect Bus Service compared to the Mary Valley communities of the study area. The selected characteristics of age, income, labour force participation (not in labour force includes residents over 15 years and unemployed, retired, students, home duties, unpaid workers etc) and motor vehicle ownership are indicators of passenger transport service demand. Features to note are: Higher representation of older people in the Blackall Range communities (almost double the Mary Valley) Proximate number and percentage of school aged residents in both areas (5-17 year olds) Similar representation of households with no motor vehicle in both areas (4%) Maleny has an exempted taxi service (Range Taxis) and there is no contracted taxi service in the Mary Valley communities Table 8: Comparison of selected characteristics of the Blackall Range (Hinterland Connect) and Mary Valley communities Characteristic Residents Aged >65 years School Aged Children (5-17 years) Not in the Labour Force Households with no Car Average Household Income (weekly gross) Blackall Range Communities Mapleton, Flaxton, Montville, Maleny % % % 75 4% Mary Valley Communities Brooloo, Carters Ridge, Bollier, Imbil, Kandanga, Amamoor % % % 58 4% $ $ Median Age 47 years 41 years Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006 Census Providing community based transport services Community based transport needs are those not met by the use of private vehicle, public transport systems or walking or cycling (Queensland Transport, 2006:10) Community transport appears to be an increasingly preferred solution to the provision of public passenger services in rural communities across Australia. For example, the Victorian Government s Transport Connections grants program supports local communities to design tailor made solutions to their Page 39

40 transport problems. Similar to Victoria, the Queensland Government s Blueprint for the Bush strategy incorporates a community transport grants program. Some characteristics of the Mary Valley communities that are favourable to the adoption of a community transport service are: precedent for working together for community solutions (Local and State Government, non-government organisations and bus operators) dispersed, small rural settlements with limited passenger transport services higher order goods and services concentrated in larger centres with defined service catchments (known common destinations of Gympie, Cooroy and the Sunshine Coast) relatively young population with identifiable destinations for socialising, shopping and entertainment local transport operators committed to trying new passenger transport services. The Community Based Transport Guidelines (2006a) provide a rule of thumb for demand and supply of community transport services. The following is a summary of the recommendations in the Guidelines. Population 1000 population 5000 population population population (Ferrier, 2006a:11-12) Service description low demand satisfied by a demand responsive door to door vehicle one or two days a week demand across the week satisfied by one or two vehicles operating as a timetabled service on a door to door basis relatively high demand satisfied with daily or more frequent services, splitting the service area into two or more zones with maxi taxi vehicles high demand satisfied with fixed route or mass transit services, one in the morning and one in the afternoon In some rural communities, it is more efficient and more economical to provide flexible, door to door services either in association with fixed route mass transit services or instead of the higher order transport services. For the Mary Valley communities, there are a number of transport operators (predominantly school bus and charter) and community organisations and groups demanding travel at different times. Rather than introducing a new transport service, such as a community transport service, the resourcing of passengers (through the Mary Valley Transport Fund) and the matching of the existing transport resources with passengers (through information collected and distributed by the transport coordination service) can utilise existing transport resources and resource and support passengers to choose the best travel option. Page 40

41 Coordinating transport services and resources As well as addressing the contractual and funding constraints, the utilisation of transport resources for public passengers requires improved coordination to match the supply and demand for transport services. Queensland Transport has funded Transport Development Workers in some areas of regional Queensland to undertake this and related tasks for transport service improvements. Queensland Transport evaluated the transport development component of the Maranoa Health Enhancement Project (Richardson, 2006) and identified that the transport development worker had added value to passenger transport services including: Identifying flexible informal options such as vacant seats on mail couriers and milk delivery vehicles Recruiting and training volunteer drivers effectively increasing the pool of volunteer drivers Bringing services to the local communities through outreach programs Auditing government and other publicly funded vehicles and addressing issues of their use for passenger transport. A transport coordinator (or transport development worker) liaises between the community, government and the transport operators to negotiate transport services that meet local travel needs. The transport development worker is negotiating transport solutions between the communities in question, the local transport operators and, on occasions, funding bodies. Experience from transport development projects in New South Wales shows us that typical solutions always reflect local conditions and are more often innovative. Not all solutions are found at a local level and it will sometimes be necessary to take actions at a central level, particularly if government regulations or contract conditions inhibit the development of new services. The formal and informal approaches are complementary (Denmark, 2000). An example of a transport development worker is Centrecare s Home and Community Care (HACC) transport coordinator based in Caboolture. The coordinator s role is to find transport solutions for individual HACC clients but also to liaise with public and private transport providers and develop operational partnerships for passenger transport service improvements for HACC clients and other transport disadvantaged groups. One of the findings of this research is the need for improved transport coordination. That is, the linking of passengers to local and sub-regional transport services to Brisbane and Brisbane airport, the Sunshine Coast and Northern communities. The Mary Valley has some residents who hold knowledge of the local and sub-regional passenger services including eligibility and timetables, but this knowledge is not widely distributed throughout the community. The transport coordinator role could be performed by members of Mary Valley Inc as part of the transport funds management role. Page 41

42 Addressing the impacts of increasing fuel costs The rise in the cost of fuel impacts on all users of private transport and to a lesser extent, users of public transport as fares can rise to cover additional costs. The location of rural areas distant from services combined with the rising cost of fuel exacerbates transport disadvantage for Mary Valley residents. Tables 9 and 10 compare the relative strengths (including cost) of local Mary Valley transport options. Solutions include more responsive passenger transport services and non-transport solutions such as increased visiting services in rural communities (such as training, job network, Centrelink, Medicare and others) and utilisation of internet based and home delivery services. While the findings of research on the impacts of increasing fuel costs (the result of peak oil combined with increased demand for oil) on rural communities in Australia are contested (the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas highlights the differential impacts depending on the local circumstances) possible positive impacts are: Relocalisation as rural residents become less mobile (Barson, 2007). Local services can benefit from reduced private travel to regional centres as locals spend their money at local outlets. Decentralisation and expansion of some services such as hospitals. Tables 9 and 10 present the comparative costs of local travel in the Mary Valley to major centres. The tables show the high cost of using the demand responsive splash bus service compared to driving the private vehicle. Page 42

43 Table 9: Comparative Strengths of Local Transport Options Imbil to Gympie Method of Travel Cost Strengths Limitations Private Car $24.15* Car provides freedom of time of travel and route, personal comfort and carriage of passengers and goods Access to a private vehicle and registered driver Rising cost of fuel Multiple long distant trips to meet the needs of family members Page 43 Bus (school bus and Thursday Shoppers Bus) $5.00 Adults** $4.50 Seniors Card** Many school bus services and routes. Fixed and regular travel times. Spare capacity on major bus services Bus is not available on school holidays No week-ends or public holiday service No availability if no seat available Thursday Shoppers Bus $5.00 Adults** Regular, reliable service with regular, mainly older passengers. Only one day a week. The service is subsidised by the bus company. Splash Bus^ $63.00 per trip Capacity for 11 passengers Wheelchair accessible Fully demand responsive transport service Must book 2 hours before travel Costs are higher for less passengers Service has one vehicle Gympie Golden City Taxis $74.00 per trip by taxi. $ per trip by maxi taxi (10 seats and can carry 2 wheelchairs). Fully demand responsive transport service Some residents report that the Taxi may not collect in a timely manner due to distance from Gympie and prioritisation. * Calculated at the Australian Tax Office Rates per Business Kilometre rate of $0.69 per km for a conventional engine vehicle at cc. Larger engine vehicles are $0.70 per km. ^ Flat rate cost of $1.70 per km for all trips. **Karrabee Coach + Bus 2008

44 Table 10: Comparative Strengths of Local Transport Options Carters Ridge to Cooroy Method of Travel Cost Strengths Limitations Private Car $18.60* Car provides freedom of time of travel and route, personal comfort and carriage of passengers and goods Bus (school bus) n/a Two school bus services. Splash Bus $46.00^ (11 seater bus and driver) Fixed and regular travel times and routes. Fully demand responsive transport service Suncoast Cabs n/a Fully demand responsive transport service Access to a private vehicle and registered driver Not many spare seats on the Cooroy school buses. All booked if all students travel all the time No week-ends or public holiday or school holiday services Must book 2 hours before travel Costs are higher when less passengers travel One vehicle available Some confusion (in Suncoast cabs) as to whether Carters Ridge is in the Suncoast cab area. Suncoast may refer the call to Gympie taxis if passenger is travelling to Gympie. * Calculated at the Australian Tax Office Rates per Business Kilometre rate of $0.69 per km for a conventional engine vehicle at cc. Larger engine vehicles are $0.70 per km. ^ Flat rate cost of $1.70 per km for all trips Promoting passenger transport services and subsidies The Government (State and Commonwealth) provides a range of subsidies to eligible passengers. A table of Government subsidies available to Mary Valley residents is shown at Attachment 4. Promoting Passenger Transport Services A review of services, timetables and routes indicates that current passenger transport services in the Mary Valley communities preferences school students, shoppers (weekly service to Gympie) and organised groups (Splash Bus and other private local charter options). This research found that access to Mary Valley passenger transport information for local, sub-regional and regional travel is complex. It can be particularly difficult to locate information on timetables, routes and fares for passenger services such as school buses, the Splash Bus, HACC transport, long distance coaches and railway services. Locating this passenger transport information required liaison with transport operators, service providers and community leaders with considerable local knowledge. According to Lovelock (1987) in Denmark (2000a) transport information must be informing, persuading and reminding the public about the services provided. The transport information task is to be both promotional and navigational (Denmark, 2000a:3). Page 44

45 The promotion of transport services through verbal presentations and creative methods is as vital to improving services as the production and distribution of transport information. Experience in Esk The Esk/Kilcoy Community Support Association produced a transport directory that detailed all passenger services and available subsidies. The directory was distributed to each household and was available at Council and other high profile community outlets. Despite this distribution, interviews with members of Seniors groups and focus groups with young people in Esk Shire (Johnson, 2006) revealed limited knowledge of the directory, its contents or where to access it. The distribution of transport information must be creative, engaging and repeated. To raise awareness of transport services a range of methods is needed such as: Decorating passenger vehicles to promote services as they operate (such as the colourful Mary Valley Splash Bus and the attractive Karrabee buses) Decorating bus shelters and providing fixed display timetable and service information at each bus shelter and bus stop (consistent with the Translink and qconnect initiatives) Regularly presenting passenger transport service information to groups of seniors and young people in the Mary Valley (through Mary Valley College, sports groups, Safe and Confident Living, Veterans and others) Promoting passenger transport services in the local paper such as the Mary Valley Voice and on Mary Valley websites Promoting passenger transport services to new residents through real estate agencies and through Council mailouts (Council newsletters and rates notifications). Concern was expressed by some school transport providers that promoting a passenger transport service could lead to a demand that may not be met on each school day (for example, if all eligible students travelled on each school day and buses were full). If school bus runs do not have the capacity to carry public passengers, than this indicates demand for a passenger transport service. qconnect The Queensland Transport qconnect initiative provides a uniform system of ticketing and fares, coordinated timetabling and standard signage for public transport services throughout the State. The initiative has been developed in response to the successes of Translink in achieving a coordinated public transport system in the metropolitan areas of the south east. Queensland Transport is also implementing accessible public transport infrastructure in rural and regional areas. All public transport services including bus stop infrastructure for suburban and long distance bus services are subject to the standards outlined in the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport Page 45

46 Queensland Transport has secured funding to assist Local Government to meet the target dates for all bus stops to be complaint with the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport. To be compliant, bus stops must meet a number of requirements including, but not limited to, providing wheelchair accessibility, tactile ground surface indicators and signage requirements. Mary Valley residents may benefit from qconnect initiatives in Gympie, however the benefits of the qconnect initiative are not evident in the Mary Valley as there is no public transport service. Mary Valley bus shelters, bus stops, signage, timetable information all need attention to inform residents of the current local and sub-regional passenger transport services. Photo 9 is a typical Mary Valley Highway Bus Shelter. The enhancement of these shelters with consistent and creative branding and fixed timetables will assist to promote the Brooloo to Gympie school bus service to public passengers. Photo 9: Typical Mary Valley highway bus shelter Page 46