TransBridgetown here to stay after successful trial

A dedicated town bus service will start rolling through the streets of Bridgetown from February 1, following a successful trial.

The trial – which started in September 2018 in response to requests from local residents - introduced a new fare-paying school bus service for students living within the town.

It operated for more than 18 months using two orange school buses and attracted about 102 fare-paying students daily, a significant number more than the estimated 30 to 40 students a day predicted to use the service.

These high patronage numbers led to the decision to create TransBridgetown, a dedicated public transport service for the residents of Bridgetown.

PTA spokesman David Hynes said regional town bus service planners were constantly reviewing community demand for new services across WA.

“The residents of Bridgetown told us there was demand for a dedicated town bus service, so we started the trial,” he said.

“We estimated patronage on the combined services would be 30 or so students daily but we ended up with more than three times that number.

“This is the first regional public transport service to be created in more than a decade and will build on the South West’s other well-patronised services, TransBunbury and TransBusselton.”

The February 1 launch coincides with the first day of school. The service will use two low-floor, fully-accessible buses identical to those used by Transperth. Bus stops have already been installed.

The existing school bus routes 701 and 702 will continue to operate at similar times, with the 701 extended to include families in the Four Seasons Estate.

TransBridgetown has an estimated operating cost of $120,900 a year.

Media contact: David Hynes, 9326 2526