By Esther Lauaki
A “mobile-on-demand” bus service is being trialled in Point Cook.
The Wynbus service launched a six-week trial last Saturday with a fleet of eight and 10-seater buses which run in areas not serviced by other public transport and on “flexi routes” based on public demand during off-peak times.
Point Cook Action Group committee member Senthill Sundaram led a team in developing the Wynbus public transport app – a mobile ride-share system which involves people signing up for the app and paying a registration fee.
Mr Sundaram said members select their preferred hop-on and hop-off locations from designated locations.
“We don’t want people stuck at home because they don’t have a bus near their house or because they cant afford a taxi or Uber,” he said. “It’s really exciting, the community is really excited about the service,” he said.
“We’ve needed an on-demand transport system in Wyndham for some time. We identified public transport black spots through community survey and we’ve conducted traffic research for a number of months.”
Mr Sundaram said he hoped the service would expand to include all of Wyndham through further sponsorship.
“This app is not limited to Point Cook, we’re getting a lot of queries from Little River and Truganina,” he said.
Passengers will be charged $4 during peak-hour, or a $3 concession.
A special $2 fare will be offered for the first two weeks of the trial during peak hours of 6-9am and 4-7pm.
Details: bit.ly/2KNZ54g
