Tue 20 June 2006 - When is a shuttle not a shuttle?
Thoughts on the free Melbourne Tourist Shuttle bus service:
Despite the name, it’s not a shuttle, it’s quite clearly a loop.
I was going to say that unlike the (also free) City Circle tram, every bus I see go past is empty. But it’s not true: I saw one last week that had about 10 people on it.
It’s funded by money from the State Government car-parking levy, which was meant to pay for “urban and transport improvements in the CBD”. Yet it doesn’t help commuters by giving them an alternative to driving in, nor does it do anything for traffic congestion and overcrowded public transport services.
While some tourists might get something out of it, it’s not taking them anywhere they can’t get to by tram, and overall I still think it’s a waste of the $750K per year it costs.