TransLink has confirmed there will be no direct bus service from Noosa to the new University Hospital, despite councillor Ingrid Jackson’s call for a six-month bus trial.
Cr Jackson has previously said she was disappointed by TransLink’s announcement of more than 400 new services to ferry patients and visitors to and from the new Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) but that calls for a direct service from Noosa were ignored.
A TransLink spokesperson said the company had carefully considered all options for public transport from Noosa to the new hospital in the planning of the new routes but that low passenger numbers meant a new direct service wouldn’t be viable.
“The existing service (Route 631) from Noosa Shire to Nambour Hospital was used by less than seven passengers per week day,” the spokesperson said.
“A direct service from Noosa shire to the new hospital would be an extremely long route with low levels of patronage given that the journey can already be undertaken on public transport via interchange at Maroochydore bus station.”
The spokesperson said that, as a result, TransLink focused on minimising the connection times between Route 620 (Noosa to Maroochydore) and Route 611 (Maroochydore to SCUH) to provide as fast a journey as possible from Noosa to the new hospital utilising existing services.
“During community consultation, only a very small number of responses (3 per cent) were received about the need for a direct service from Noosa to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital,” the spokesperson said.
“At this stage, TransLink is not considering conducting a six month trial into a direct service between Noosa and SCUH.”
