8.3.3 Improved Communication and Ticketing

Many of these complementary services would run in partnership with other organisations or organisers. Previous feedback from transport trials indicated that the better the Council engagement and co-ordination with partners the better the outcomes would be for these services. Literature review and consultation suggests that on-demand bus services may be more efficient than scheduled services to meet current gaps in transport needs. This would be a more efficient use of bus/ vehicle costs but would require greater effort in communications and organisation. It is not clear which department or officer within Council would be responsible for delivering these services or facilitation of the tasks outlined above with current responsibility for community transport being shared across the youth and positive ageing teams. These two groups are the most likely target audience and therefore a partnership between departments or officers may be appropriate. Council’s role would be one of service provision and partnership with community transport providers. Community transport providers and community organisations may be able to better access Commonwealth funded programs. In addition, they may also have existing booking systems in place for on-demand transport. For example, LINK Community and Transport is a not-for-profit community organisation that operates a community transport fleet of accessible vehicles, specially trained drivers, mobility assistants and in-home carers within Victoria.

A consistent issue raised by the public during one-on-one interviews and workshops was the lack of understanding of current transport options and lack of communication for previous trials resulting in poor patronage. Better communication would reduce car dependency, address poor service awareness and improve use of cheaper alternatives to the vehicle (such as taxis). • Provide centralised web-page with relevant information • Links to public transport websites • Links and information of Community Transport options provided by Council • Links to other community transport providers • Publicise changes to services (in conjunction with DoT/PTV). • Provide information to disadvantaged users • Include ticketing access information • Include accessible information (non-web-based) including timetables and relevant contacts • Targeted to audience (geographically and/or user group) • Advise of changes to services (in conjunction with DoT/PTV). • Consider ticketing alternatives for ticketed v-line services (Ballarat-Warrnambool line). Council’s role is to provide information to residents for their benefit, as outlined in various strategies and policies. The Communications team would be the likely team to deliver the services, though would benefit from inputs from the youth and positive ageing team with respect to information required and target audiences. Due to the nature of providing links to external websites and risk of reliance on information, the establishment and ongoing maintenance of information provided should be well delineated with respect to responsibility as well as communications with external providers to advise of changes and updates. Mailing lists of transport disadvantaged or registered/interested residents could be established to ensure timely and targeted information is provided to those users if any changes occur.