Bus passengers slam rate hike

Public transport user Leanne Bevin is adamant ratepayers should not contribute to improve the state of public transport.

Claudia Baxter

IPSWICH residents have slammed a suggestion from Premier Anna Bligh that their council rates should include an extra fee to improve public transport across the city.

As reported in yesterday’s The Queensland Times, Ms Bligh said Ipswich ratepayers should match their Brisbane counterparts and contribute $384 per household to fund bus services.

But angry Ipswich commuters yesterday said that they should not have to pay extra rates for improved services after ticket prices for public transport were recently increased.

One Mile resident Leanne Bevin, 55, said although her bus to Bell Street was frequently delayed, she would not be willingly to pay more rates to have her bus service improved.

John Freiberg, 68, said he thought Ipswich current bus services could be improved without charging ratepayers.

“I think you’ll find that if they reworked the timetables to ensure the buses they have now run on time, commuters would be happy and you wouldn’t have to raise the rates,” the Raceview resident said.

Basin Pocket resident Melanie Rogers, 28, said she would consider a significantly cheaper increase to rates if it was guaranteed to pay for better public transport services.

Ms Bligh said if every south-east Queensland council made the same contribution as Brisbane ratepayers it would pump an extra $292 million into public transport.

“TransLink advice says that kind of funding could provide an extra 39,000 public transport services each and every week, including 3200 for Ipswich,” she said.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale rejected the call from the Premier, saying with electricity and water prices on the rise, it would be too big a slug on residents.

Robert Dow from public transport advocacy group Rail Back on Track said it would be unfair for local governments like the Ipswich City Council to slug ratepayers with extra fees for public transport.

“I don’t think council’s like Ipswich should have to fund public transport in their own regions, it should be up to the State Government,” he said.