{"id":88524,"date":"2014-11-18T17:52:05","date_gmt":"2014-11-18T07:52:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=88524"},"modified":"2020-11-23T11:23:01","modified_gmt":"2020-11-23T01:23:01","slug":"pursers-to-take-over-brisbane-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2014\/11\/18\/pursers-to-take-over-brisbane-run\/","title":{"rendered":"Purser’s To Take Over Brisbane Run"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Everyone thought the Brisbane Bus Lines’ coach service from Murgon had been saved when a deal was reached between Brisbane Bus Lines, the SBRC, the State Government and Translink<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Pursers Commits
\nTo Take Over Run<\/strong><\/p>\n

South Burnett Mayor Wayne Kratzmann, above, announced tonight that Murgon-based Purser’s Coaches would take over the run from December 1.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mayor Kratzmann said Brisbane Bus Lines had informed him two weeks ago the service would stop.<\/p>\n

“We were not consulted about the decision, we were just told,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I met them in Brisbane and asked them to reconsider, to give us some time to lobby the State Government but we were just given an ultimatum.”<\/p>\n

Mayor Kratzmann said Council had received no feedback since the new service started in August that there was anything wrong.<\/p>\n

“We thought the service had been saved,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Then they told us that they needed another six passengers a run, but they didn’t give us any time to do anything about it. They just told me it was stopping.<\/p>\n

“I think we deserved better than that.”<\/p>\n

He said the South Burnett Regional Council and Cherbourg Aboriginal Council had done everything in their power to make the service work.<\/p>\n

“It’s not Council’s core business but it is so important to the area,” he said.<\/p>\n

Mayor Kratzmann said he was “over the moon” about the commitment from Andrew and Harvy Dascombe from Purser’s Coaches.<\/p>\n

“They are looking at doing a service five days a week,” he said.<\/p>\n

He said Council would now lobby local MPs Jeff Seeney and Deb Frecklington for assistance for Purser’s.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

November 18, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

Murgon-based Purser’s Coaches has agreed to take over the Murgon-Caboolture bus run for a three-month trial following the announcement by Brisbane Bus Lines that it is axeing the service.<\/p>\n

The privately operated Brisbane Bus Lines announced today it would be stopping its Caboolture-Murgon-Caboolture service in 10 days, effectively leaving passengers stranded ahead of Christmas.<\/p>\n

The last Brisbane Bus Lines service will depart Murgon for Caboolture on November 28, and the last Murgon-Caboolture run will leave the following day.<\/p>\n

Purser’s Coaches aims to start its service on December 1.<\/p>\n

Andrew Dascombe told southburnett.com.au<\/strong> this evening that they would run a 40-seat coach five days a week, leaving Murgon at 7:00am and getting back at 7:00pm.<\/p>\n

The Brisbane Bus Lines service only resumed on August 4 after months of negotiations involving the South Burnett Regional Council, the State Government and Translink.<\/p>\n

“Whilst the service has been modified in consultation with Translink and operating in a new format for the past four months, numbers are still not strong enough to support the service,” a statement from directors Ian Mitchell and Lara-Jane Mitchell said.<\/p>\n

“Brisbane Bus Lines continues to lose money at the rate of about $3000 per week, a situation it cannot sustain.<\/p>\n

“We understand that South Burnett Regional Council is in talks with other operators to provide some form of service to and from the region. If negotiations are not successful, we would suggest that residents lobby their local State MP and demand support for public transport through the region.<\/p>\n

“This is indeed a sad development.”<\/p>\n

Speaking before the Purser’s announcement, Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington told southburnett.com.au she was extremely disappointed by the Brisbane Bus Lines decision.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“At no time has Brisbane Bus Lines been directly in contact with me at all,” she said.<\/p>\n

“This is exactly what they did before.<\/p>\n

“They scared the community and forced Council to use taxpayers’ money to help them out.”<\/p>\n

Mrs Frecklington said Brisbane Bus Lines had not even sent her a copy of the letter which they had despatched to the media.<\/p>\n

“I need to get a copy. I will be contacting them and expressing my dismay but they are a private company and no one can force them to continue to lose $3000 a week.”<\/p>\n

Mrs Frecklington said in the past she had suggested they used a smaller vehicle – and a less frequent service.<\/p>\n

“Anything to keep a service running,” she said.<\/p>\n

“It is hugely concerning to me that they say that they don’t have enough passengers.<\/p>\n

“Everyone wants a bus service and people do tell me that they travel on it, but obviously it is not enough.<\/p>\n

“I would be interested to learn what their figures are; $3000 (a week) is a large amount of money.”<\/p>\n

Mrs Frecklington said Brisbane Bus Lines had not “engaged at all” with the State Government’s Public Transport Review.<\/p>\n

Andrew Dascombe said Brisbane Bus Lines had done “a fantastic job” over the years.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Full credit to them,” he said.<\/p>\n

He said they had received no State Government subsidies for the run, and in the long-term the service was not financially sustainable without State Government help.<\/p>\n

“Hence why we are trying a trial three-month period and we will just go from there,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We will have to tailor it back if we can’t make ends meet.”<\/p>\n

Mr Dascombe said if the service was allowed to be lost, it would never return.<\/p>\n

[UPDATED]<\/strong><\/p>\n

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