TRANSWA COACHES
The Transwa road coach service is a vital transport link to many small communities in the southern half of Western Australia. Transwa operates road coach services on a comprehensive network which extends to Kalbarri, Geraldton and Meekatharra in the North, Augusta, Pemberton and Albany in the South West and Esperance in the South East.
During the year, Transwa operated 144 separate road coach services each week and employed 34 road coach drivers for its fleet of 22 five-star coaches.
THE YEAR’S DEVELOPMENTS
A consistent maintenance program coupled with a good performance of the coaches led to Transwa coach services achieving their punctuality target. Safety for Transwa passengers is paramount, and the coach services again provided a safe travelling environment with only six minor incidents involving passengers in approximately 232,000 journeys.
Some modifications were undertaken to operating conditions at the East Perth coach depot, involving changes to the cleaning, fuelling and service scheduling, which enhanced the service-efficiency of the coaches.
1. Patronage
Transwa coach services patronage dropped 2.6% due to a number of contributing factors including the Esperance floods in January 2007, and the decline in the rural population. The reasons for a major downturn in patronage on services to Albany and Geraldton are the subject of further investigation. A review of services will enable Transwa to put in place strategies to positively improve patronage on these services.
2. Passenger Satisfaction
The level of customer satisfaction of Transwa coach services remained high at 93%. This was primarily a reflection of drivers’ commitment to safety and customer service, in conjunction with the comfort and cleanliness of the coach fleet.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Preliminary discussions were held prior to the commencement of planning for a road coach fleet replacement program. The first part of the program will establish design guidelines for the coaches and set a timeline for the replacement of the existing fleet.