More people are using Newcastle’s park-and-ride bus since it extended its operating hours in July, but passenger numbers are still well short of government predictions a year ago.
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The NSW government and Newcastle City Council set up the park-and-ride at Hunter Stadium to alleviate parking shortages in the CBD during light rail work.
The council announced that the service had attracted 21,389 passengers in its first 12 months, though it amended this figure upwards to 29,217 last week.
The new figure equates to a daily tally of about 123 passengers, taking into account weekends, public holidays and other days when the shuttle buses do not run.
The council said on Tuesday that the service has taken about 95 cars off the road every day on average, a far cry from the “300 or more” Revitalising Newcastle forecast in November last year.
The service is paid for by Revitalising Newcastle and managed by the council.
Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
