Cars stay put over fuel hike

By Nathan Johnston
COMMUTERS are increasingly leaving their cars behind and catching buses, trains and trams in the wake of soaring petrol prices.
Metlink communications manager Miranda Tring said there had been a sharp rise in the number of trips being taken on public transport since April when the price of petrol moved permanently above the $1alitre mark. But she said fuel costs were just one of many factors for the rise in trips.
“The weather, new ticketing products, parking prices and increased marketing activity could also be reasons for an increase,” Ms Tring said.
“But we did notice a sharp rise in April. Many people are now asking themselves, ‘is my car too expensive?’ Public transport certainly offers a cheaper travel alternative.”
According to Metlink statistics, there were 8.2 per cent more trips taken on public transport in the second quarter of 2005 than in the first quarter of 2004.
Ms Tring said the percentage increase equated to an extra 6.5 million trips being made across the metropolitan network during the quarter, or about 76,000 extra trips a day.
Manager of Dandenongbased Grenda Bus Services Michael Thorn said he was not aware of a major increase in passenger numbers because of soaring petrol prices.
“But, it’s had a huge impact on our running costs. It hurts us like it’s hurting all transport companies,” he said.
Connex spokesperson Serena Middleton said passenger numbers had gradually increased in recent years. Extra commuters along the Dandenong corridor would be catered for by additional morning and evening peak services, she said.