Canberra sets up single transport agency

Andrew Bates spoke with Meegan Fitzharris, Minister for Transport and City Services, Canberra, about the city’s progress in delivering a fully integrated public transport system

What progress is being made in the construction of the new light rail system? Is there still opposition to the project?

With construction now well under way, 2017 will see the transformation of the light rail corridor from Gungahlin to Civic, leading us towards project completion by the end of 2018.

Work is progressing well on the project so far. The complex work associated with relocating utilities within the 12-kilometre light rail corridor continues, with preparation of the alignment for the laying of track from later this year. Construction is currently on schedule, with the service due to begin in late 2018 or early 2019.

Light rail was a focal point during last year’s ACT [Australian Capital Territory] Government election campaign, and like many light rail projects around the country it has been subject to some opposition. It’s important to have a good public debate about the merits of large infrastructure projects such as this, and the government has welcomed that discussion and debate in the community. The ACT Labor Government has a clear mandate to get on with the project, which most Canberrans voted for in 2016.

What are the challenges of integrating the new light rail into the rest of the public transport system?

The ACT Government is committed to delivering an integrated public transport system for Canberra, which includes buses, light rail, walking and cycling. In 2015 the ACT Government launched the Public Transport Improvement Plan, which included an objective for integrated public transport–to provide a seamless travel experience across Canberra.

In 2016 the ACT Government established a new single public transport agency, Transport Canberra. The agency’s mandate is to deliver a quality public transport system that is convenient, efficient, affordable and reliable. It will be responsible for integrating buses with the light rail network, ensuring a single ticketing system, a central contact for information and coordinated timetabling. It will reallocate more than a million bus kilometres, freed up by the first stage of light rail across the bus network.

Transport Canberra is about making public transport in the ACT even better, and ensuring our beautiful city remains the most liveable in the world. The agency is focusing on improving public transport to help us manage Canberra’s growth, reduce congestion and protect our liveability.

It’s expected the first stage of the light rail network will free up 1.2 million kilometres per year from the existing bus network. In consultation with the community, Transport Canberra will redistribute these buses to other parts of the network to improve the Canberra-wide bus service.

How important is it to get Canberra’s citizens more active and what is the city doing to encourage walking and cycling? How successful has the recently opened Park and Pedal facility been?

We are very lucky to live in a city where there are so many options for active travel, including an extensive footpath and cycle path network supported by fantastic public transport options, so there are plenty of opportunities to get more exercise in your daily routine.

We are encouraging residents to think about combining public transport with active travel. This could be as simple as, catching a bus to work and walking to your meeting throughout the day, getting off a stop or two earlier or making use of our bike and ride facilities across Canberra.

The recently opened Park and Pedal is already proving a success with the ACT community as people use it to drive part of the way to work, park their cars for free, and pedal their bikes the remainder of the journey.

How is the city embracing innovation and providing better access to real-time data?

The ACT Government Public Transport Improvement Plan clearly states the intent to move towards innovative solutions for public transport. This includes the delivery of a new, integrated ticketing system for public transport. The next generation of ticketing technology will allow customers a wider range of payment options, including e-wallets, smart phones and credit cards.

Upon commencement of Light Rail Stage 1 services, our customers will have access to real time bus and light rail information. By providing this data to the development community using international standards we can encourage the development of smart phone apps that allow for multi-modal trip planning. There will also be more digital displays at bus and light rail stops providing real time arrival and departure times.

Is Canberra successfully moving people away from private cars and onto public transport?

Getting people out of private cars and onto public transport is always challenging. Canberrans are used to being reliant on their cars to move around, but gradually this is changing.

The ACT Government has committed to growing public transport services in Canberra through the introduction of Stage 1 Light Rail, the commitment to Stage 2 from the city to Woden and increasing the Rapid Bus network from two to seven routes across the city by 2020.

Providing access to fast, frequent and reliable public transport services is critical to getting more people out of their cars and onto public transport. Providing facilities such as bike cages and more park and ride locations will also encourage people to move to more sustainable and active forms of travel.

Are there any initiatives in place to subsidise travel for elderly citizens and what impact could this have?

Over 70 percent of the Transport Canberra bus fleet includes easy-access buses, while all the buses in the flexible transport bus service fleet are wheelchair accessible and proving a popular way for older Canberrans to travel.

Earlier this year Transport Canberra also started a 12-month trial to provide free off-peak travel on Transport Canberra buses for senior and concession MyWay cardholders (excluding student and tertiary cardholders).

Eligible senior and concession holders who travel using MyWay are able to take advantage of this initiative during stated Transport Canberra off-peak travel times between 09.00 and 16.30, after 18.00 weekdays and all day Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. Providing a high quality public transport network is vital for ensuring older Canberrans have access to essential services while also enhancing social inclusion across Canberra.

The Flexible Bus Service was also introduced in September 2014 to provide free, on-demand services for the elderly (70+) and people with a disability who lack access to regular passenger services. This includes people who are: seniors card holders with mobility issues, senior card holders aged 70 or over, living in a nursing home and/or retirement village, impacted by a permanent or temporary disability that prevents you from accessing regular route services, holders of a Vision Impaired (VIP), or Total and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI) travel pass.