Transport options tough for non-drivers in Rural Vic

RACV calls for better coordination of transport services in rural areas

The recently released RACV report – referred to by Peter McMahon in his comments on attracting Greyhound Coaches back to the East Coast route – found that older non-drivers find it difficult to get to social occasions and that they lose their independence.

The RACV’s chief behavioural scientist, Anne Harris, says “Older people, we found, have become very isolated once they stopped driving.”

She also finds that younger people in rural areas can miss out on education or training opportunities, if they don’t have a parent to drive them. Opportunities for work and training can be rare so young people should be able to take them up without transport being a barrier.

The report recommends the State Government appoint regional transport coordinators to organise alternatives. Coordination of all existing options was the ‘standout need’ put to me last year by Sheryl McHugh of Wellington Shire’s ‘Let’s get connected program’.

When comparing Victorian services with some of the best practice international approaches the key components noted are:

• Integration of services: Have mobility services that integrate ALL forms of transport – community and public transport and private taxis and buses all cooperating;
• Government responsibility: Recognise the benefits of enabling non-drivers to participate in the community;
• Information: Collect detailed info about community transport5 needs and plan transport systems around this.

In essence the report says the Victorian State Government needs to be far more proactive in the transport/mobility area AND to commit resources to develop a more effective, integrated program.

PWF would love to hear how rural & regional areas in other states have managed – What’s worked ? What hasn’t?

Related PWF article – A joint approach to transport issues in rural & remote Victorian towns