Plenty of fans for On Demand service in Queensland

• A two-year trial of an innovative On Demand transport service on Queensland’s Gold Coast has been extended for an additional year
• More than 184,000 passenger trips have been taken with the service proving a critical connector with high-frequency public transport routes
• Kinetic operates the service complementing its extensive urban route and school bus network

An innovative On Demand Transport (ODT) trial in Queensland has been extended as passengers on the Gold Coast increasingly choose to leave their car at home.

More than 184,000 trips were taken in the first phase of the ODT trial, with 68 per cent of passengers connecting with other modes of public transport including high frequency bus services, trains and light rail.

Operating in the rapidly expanding northern Gold Coast region, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Planning and Minister for Public Works and local MP Meaghan Scanlon joined Kinetic’s Executive General Manager Martin Hall to announce a 12-month extension of the trial.

Mr Hall said passengers love the convenience of On Demand Transport to connect with major transport hubs and activity centres.

“It’s a convenient and cost-effective way to get around and with close to 200,000 trips completed the numbers speak for themselves,” he said.

“Providing connections to high frequency bus routes, heavy rail and light rail is vitally important to increasing the use of public transport and reducing the number of cars on our roads.

“Services like On Demand Transport provide these connections and support more sustainable transport in our city.”

Available in Nerang, Highland Park and Pacific Pines, ODT is regularly used by commuters, with 45 per cent of users traveling to and from work, and more than two thirds of trips connecting with other forms of public transport.

Minister Scanlon said the ODT trial offers a more personalised public transport service in locations where regular public transport services are not available or possible.

“Our community has backed ODT all the way with close to 100 per cent of people saying they’re advocates for the service,” she said.

The system utilises modern technology with passengers booking trips through Translink’s On Demand app where they can access real-time service tracking and notifications.

A new journey planner integration for the app has also gone live allowing users in the Gold Coast zone to plan a journey that spans multiple public transport options in the greater Gold Coast area including connections to the Airport rail line to Brisbane Airport.

Kinetic is the largest bus operator on the Gold Coast with a team of over 700 people and 400 vehicles delivering government-contracted urban route and school bus services. Operations include the high frequency zero-emission buses (ZEB) connecting passengers between Broadbeach and the Gold Coast Airport.

Further enquiries
Steve Cadzow
Manager - Media & Communications (Northern)
0428 127 147
steve.cadzow@wearekinetic.com