Pursers Calls For Bus Subsidy

February 2, 2015

Pursers Coaches will continue the Murgon-Caboolture bus past the upcoming end of the three-month trial but owner Harvy Dascombe is adamant the State Government must step in to provide subsidies for the route.

Pursers picked up the run on December 1 when Brisbane Bus Lines dropped the service in the lead-up to Christmas.

The timetable was altered to five days a week, and the hours amended, to make the run more viable.

Mr Dascombe said today he was happy with the number of customers who had used the bus since December but this had been over a holiday period and it was “an unknown quantity” if this level of support would continue into February.

The original three-month trial was supposed to finish at the end of March however Mr Dascombe said he was confident it would now continue as is at least to the end of June.

“I am definitely not going to leave the general public in the lurch,” he said.

If patronage does drop away, an option would be to cut the service back to three days a week.

“People have said to me ‘three days a week is better than no days a week’,” Mr Dascombe said.

Mr Dascombe said he had driven the run himself. When he looked at the passengers, he knew it was important that it must continue.

“It’s a vital link. I was thinking ‘these people are depending on us to do it’,” he said.

And the customers seemed happy.

“We have had very good community feedback from people using it. They are very happy with the service,” he said.

However, Mr Dascombe said “something” had to be done to support the route over the long-term.

“All over the State there is government support for public transport, why not in the South Burnett?” he said.

The original “Blueprint For The Bush” funding that allowed the service to begin in 2012 has long been exhausted.

The run then continued with the help of funding from the South Burnett Regional Council and two other sponsors to cover half the costs.

However, Pursers is now carrying the full cost of the service.

“We will keep it going and review it in June,” Mr Dascombe said.

“Public transport right across Queensland is subsidised, except here.”

• External link: Transport services in the South Burnett

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