Taxi Transport Service Between Town and Village
Introduction
The objective of this initiative was to provide an affordable and flexible passenger transport option to residents of a small village located 8km out of town.
One aim of providing such a service was to improve access for residents of the village to attend health appointments in town. This would reduce the need for transport services to be provided by health workers, giving them more time to conduct health related activities.
This service experienced a lack of patronage throughout the trial. Only when free promotional vouchers were issued did people use the service. Although this particular service has since ceased to operate, a similar model may be appropriate for other country NSW communities.
Process
- Initial Consultation
At the town Transport Working Group (TWG), the issue of lack of passenger transport to the village was raised. Attempts to provide a regular passenger transport service to the village in the past had been unsuccessful and resulted in the provision of a service that was not well utilised. The TWG discussed options for providing a more suitable service to this community. More information on TWGs.
Discussions were also held with representatives from the village as to the type of service that was required and that would be supported by the local community. - Development
The town TWG became the main forum for progressing the development of the service. At each meeting, progress reports were given, issues discussed and potential solutions considered by the group.
The village community was consulted throughout the process, providing input on cost, timing, frequency and pick up/drop off locations.
The decision to implement the model chosen was made following support from all the stakeholders involved: local government, village community, and town health service. - Promotion
The service was initially promoted via two methods:- door knock of homes in the village by a health worker known to the community;
- promotional flyer (18 kb PDF) distributed to each household in the village as well as various locations around town such as local government, information centre, health facilities, etc.
A second promotion was conducted 2 months after the service was launched and involved:- another door knock to each household in the village by Ministry of Transport staff accompanied by a heath worker known to the community;
- distribution of a voucher for one free return trip to encourage people to test the service.
Resources
People
The taxi operator, village community and local government all provided representatives to negotiate and develop details of the service.
- Taxi Operator - was willing to offer a reduced rate to provide the service.
- Village representatives - provided information and feedback on the needs of the village community during the development stage of the service.
- Local government - agreed to administer the seed funding and manage the operation of the service.
- Ministry of Transport - provided regulatory advice on options for the operation of the service.
- Transport Working Group - provided valuable suggestions and advice on options and community needs throughout the process.
Funding
Seed funding was provided to trial this service. An amount of $1000 was provided to cover the cost of the taxi if no passengers utilised the service, or to cover the shortfall if only one passenger travelled. Local government auspiced the funds during the trial.
If the trial had proven a demand existed for the service and a decision was made for it to continue after the seed funds had been expended, local government, along with the Transport Working Group, would have had to consider other options for funding.
Time
The time frame from initial identification of the issue to the commencement of the trial service was approximately 6 months. This included community consultation, development and launch preparation. Feedback was exchanged on progress of the service with the local TWG every 2 months.
Details of Service
Model
The service trialled was operated by local government who contracted the local taxi operator to provide the service from the village to town and return, three times per day, one day per week.
The taxi operator agreed to provide a reduced set fare for each trip (approximately 40% discount). The reduced fare was shared between those travelling in the taxi and therefore became less expensive the more people there were.
Support funding was required to cover the cost of the service if no passengers travelled, or to cover the shortfall if only one passenger travelled. See costing information below for more details.
Passengers were able to but not required to make bookings. They had the option to simply arrive to meet the taxi at the set time and location.
Costing Details
The taxi operator agreed to provide the service at a reduced cost of $12 per one way trip. This amount was covered by either the funding body, the passengers, or both as shown below:
| Number of people travelling | $12 paid by |
|---|---|
| 0 1 2 3 4 |
Funding body $8 Passenger, $4 Funding body $6 per Passenger $4 per Passenger $3 per Passenger |
Funding support was therefore only required when either no passengers or one passenger utilised the service.
The taxi operator billed the local government, who administered the funding, for any amount owing to them from the seed funding once per month.
Operational Details
- The service operated Wednesday of each week to the following
timetable:
- Village to town 10.00am
- Town to village 12.00noon
- Village to town 12.10pm
- Town to village 3.00pm
- As bookings were not required, the taxi arrived at these times and locations and performed the transfer regardless of the number of passengers present. This system was put in place to remove the need to make bookings, which was seen as a major barrier to people using the service.
- The taxi waited for approximately 5 minutes before departing the agreed location.
- There were several stops that passengers could be dropped off at and collected from in town including the hospital and main shopping precinct.
Benefits
- Residents of the village have a cost effective passenger transport option available to them. The service gives people the choice of independently travelling to town for health, social or business purposes, without relying on others.
- The need for health workers to provide transport services is reduced, giving them more time to conduct health related activities.
- Business is increased for the local taxi operator.
Issues
- Identifying whether there is a need for the service - despite strong initial support for the establishment of the service by the local community, the numbers of people who used the service once it became operational were low. Identifying whether there is a real need for the service, and the best way to meet this need is the challenge.
- Identifying a long term source of funding - the initial trial was supported with seed funding from the Ministry of Transport. The TWG would have had to consider alternate sources of funds if the service were to continue.
Evaluation
Despite having the support of all stakeholders involved, the trial service operated once a week for eight weeks without a paying passenger. There was one Transport Working Group meeting held in this time and reasons for and potential solutions to this problem were discussed. It was then decided to conduct the second promotion of the service in an attempt to raise the awareness of it in the village community.
Following the issue of vouchers offering one free return trip, four passengers utilised the service. Feedback received indicated that the cost may be prohibitive. The operation of the service on a Wednesday may also have be an issue as people receive pension payments on a Thursday, meaning there is less disposable income available for taxi use on Wednesday of each week, even at a reduced rate. One reason Wednesdays were chosen was to provide a discount transport option to people when they needed it most.
Once the seed funding was expended, a decision was made by the TWG not to explore additional funding sources to continue the service. The independent evaluation of the project by the University of New England suggested a contributing factor to the low usage of the service was the fact that "Aboriginal people want to maintain their ability to exercise choice and autonomy about when they travel and some experienced the service as imposed".
