CWA Tilba’s Helene Sharpe with NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison, and Nola Ezzy and Annette Kennewell of CWA Tilba. Photo: Marion Williams.
Members of CWA Tilba are working with the NSW Government to get a bus service in the Far South Coast.
Ideally, the bus service would connect people to the hospitals in Bega, Moruya and Canberra, to the airports in Merimbula and Moruya, and to the train service that runs from Kiama to Sydney. They see a need for the service for people on the Far South Coast who don’t drive – particularly the elderly – and have no one to drive them.
The bus service would improve access to medical appointments, community facilities such as swimming pools and cinemas, and to shops. It would also make it easier to visit friends in other towns, plus loved ones in hospital or nursing homes.
When a plane could not land at Moruya Airport because of poor visibility, Tilba resident Helene Sharpe had to drive her daughter and son-in-law to Kiama train station so they could get to Sydney in time to catch their flight back to the UK.
Sometime earlier her husband became sick.
“I started thinking about this because my husband was in hospital in Moruya. I thought if I couldn’t drive, there was no way I could see him,” she said. “He was transferred to Canberra and again I thought what if I didn’t drive, how would I see him in Canberra hospital.”
Later, she had the problem of getting to Moruya Airport to visit her mother in Sydney.
Members of CWA Tilba explain to NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison why the region needs a bus service. Photo: Marion Williams.
Ms Sharpe researched what bus services were available. She found that both the bus service between Narooma and Canberra and the service between Narooma and Sydney necessitated overnight stays, and the biggest gap in public transport was in the area north of Bega up to Moruya.
“There is a lack of connection. All these things show the lack of amenity for people in this area.
“So, all these thoughts were circulating in my head, and I put it to the CWA Tilba to start a petition,” Ms Sharpe said. “The more people I spoke to, the more people were interested. Everyone had stories of how difficult it was to get somewhere if they didn’t drive.”
From speaking with people, she believes the best solution would be an on-demand service with small buses like the ones in Bega and Merimbula. People ring up with their requests and the company works out a route to pick them up and take them where they need to go.
“I think that would work best in this area. There is not a large population and most rely on their car for as long as they can,” she said.
Member for Bega Dr Michael Holland presented the CWA Tilba’s petition with more than 200 signatures to NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison in the latter half of 2023.
Minister Aitchison responded to the CWA Tilba and dropped by to meet them on 15 February when she visited the area.
Members of CWA Tilba with NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison (third from right, standing) in February. Photo: Marion Williams.
Ms Sharpe and fellow CWA members Nola Ezzy and Vicky Staden participated in a Bus Industry Taskforce face-to-face consultation in Batemans Bay on 23 February. The May 2024 Bus Industry Taskforce Consultation Outcome Report was published in August.
Ms Sharpe said the taskforce received 118 submissions from the Far South Coast and Snowy Monaro areas.
She said the report found that buses had been forgotten in the transport service. “They have realised that buses are used by more people than any other form of transport and are cheaper to run per person,” Ms Sharpe said.
The report also found that the contracting system had created a “race to the bottom” where using the cheapest service had led to compromised safety and service for bus users.
In August Transport for NSW contacted Ms Sharpe and Ms Ezzy as part of its work on a draft medium-term bus plan for up to 10 years into the future.
“They are compiling insights from stakeholders and delivering a report on integrated, long-term solutions to drive economic growth, improve connectivity, and enhance quality of life for people in the regions,” Ms Sharpe said.
She said Minister Aitchison was reviewing the draft report before it was circulated to stakeholders in the wider community. Following further consultation to refine the draft, the final plan will be released.
Ms Sharpe is happy that there seems to be progress. She said there were environmental and equity reasons too for providing a bus service in the Far South Coast.
“It makes so much good sense to take cars off the road for e-buses,” Ms Sharpe said. “A bus service provides those who don’t drive, or don’t want to drive, with another option.”
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