| New trial bus service for Redlynch Valley Estate |
A new trial Monday to Friday bus service linking Redlynch Valley Estate with Sunbus qconnect services at  Redlynch Shopping Centre will commence today.
Member for Barron River, Steve Wettenhall, said the trial service would operate three times each week day (excludes Saturday and Sunday) for three months (July to September) and a decision on whether to extend this period would then be made depending on patronage levels. "It really is a case of use it or lose it. I have heard the call from Redlynch Valley Estate residents for a bus service to the estate – and urge residents to remember it will continue only if enough people use it," Mr Wettenhall said. "Late last year, I lodged a petition by principal petitioner Jean Wright with 826 community residents' signatures requesting an extension of public bus services into the valley. And I am pleased to announce, this trial gives the residents access to public transport and a chance to prove the case for a permanent service" he said. "The estate's streets are too narrow for a normal bus, so the trial will be conducted by Trans North Pty Ltd using a 15-seater vehicle that is wheelchair friendly. "The fare for the trial will be set at $2, which is the equivalent of the existing one-zone qconnect fare. "The distance from the entrance to the estate to the Sunbus bus stop at Redlynch shopping centre on Larsen Road, is 6.6 kilometres. That's a long way for someone who doesn't have private transport. "I urge the people of Redlynch Estate to use this service because it cannot be continued in the long term if it does not reach the necessary patronage levels," Mr Wettenhall said. Redlynch TRIAL bus service AM PM PM Major Stops • This trial service with three return trips per weekday runs between Redlynch Shopping Centre along Redlynch Intake Road into Mary Parker Drive and Huntley Crescent in the Redlynch Valley Estate. The trial bus does not operate on weekends. |