This topic can be used to talk about bus services in the Ipswich City Council region.
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Ipswich News Today has requested an interview about the issues Ipswich is currently facing with their bus services. I understand that the journalist is particularly interested in the cause for the frequent cancellations of services and the delay in stage 1 of the improvement package.
I would love to hear everyones opinion on the subject.
Brisbane? Not Ipswich? 
Haha, brain fart on the bus 
. Fixed it now.
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A big part of the problem is simply lack of drivers. I know a couple of people who work at Bus Qld/WBC, and the main problem is simply lack of drivers. It’s difficult to attract and retain staff when they can go drive a truck, get an immediate 10-15% pay rise (more with experience), and not have to deal with the public.
Cancellations are usually noticeably less during school holidays. This is because during school terms, if a school driver is absent, an urban run is often cancelled so the school run can be done.
I’m not sure what way there is out if this, other than paying drivers more, but TMR seem unwilling to entertain the idea.
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Wasnt the operator in Ipswich the one which refused to pass on the payrise from TMR to drivers?
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It’s a general Bus Queensland issue as it also affects Park Ridge operations quite hard.
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Looks like it was a deal that came with many strings, according to the ABC news article.
Every other operator (at least that I know of) was able to pass it on. It doesn’t give me confidence in the culture at Bus Queensland if they are the only operator not to.
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The cited implementation costs include increases to accrued annual leave balances as well as wage increases for driving work not covered by the subsidy Bus Queensland refuses government subsidised pay increases for its own drivers, leaked document shows - ABC News
Looks like if you accepted the offer, it had lots of trailing or hidden costs packaged with it as well.
And it’s rather an odd offer for Translink to make.
See, Translink is supposed to be doing network planning, not internal HR and payroll functions for a private company that it contracts.
If Translink wants to take on these functions, it can do what BCC does and own and run the buses itself directly.
And yet every other operator was able to implement it.
Possibly because they saw getting some of the wage increase cost covered by government as a good thing that would help them attract and retain staff and save them from that cost they might well have had to cover themselves anyway.
Translink aren’t running internal HR for others - they’re administering a funding arrangement with another organisation in a way that seeks to achieve the government’s policy objectives, which is a pretty standard role for a government department.
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ABC article: “Translink is disappointed on behalf of the drivers at Bus Queensland that their employer has refused to accept the Queensland government’s wage proposal unlike the vast majority of other delivery partners,” the spokesperson said.
“Twenty private delivery partners, representing 72 per cent of bus drivers eligible to receive the wage boost, have currently accepted the proposal and are set to experience the benefits.”
Cancellations continue out west and will probably get more frequent sadly …
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Well, the article doesn’t actually say that. Rather, it says the vast majority of other bus companies were able to implement it.
This implies that there is at least one other bus company that might have also refused or not yet accepted the agreement at the time (bolding added):
The spokesperson said the vast majority of other bus companies had agreed to pass on the wage increases to workers.
The article was written 12 months ago, so the situation may have changed since then.
The cited implementation costs include increases to accrued annual leave balances as well as wage increases for driving work not covered by the subsidy.
And why not cover fully the true cost of covering the increased operating costs? It seems that coverage is only partial?
The ABC article reports that implementation would result in a $3 million loss. It sounds that achieving an acceptable deal for Bus Queensland that leaves it no worse off than before is less than the cost of funding 1 extra bus route.
This suggests that solving this disagreement is for Translink to add $3 million to the agreement going forward.
And what difference does ‘every other operator’ vs ‘vast majority of other operators’ make to the substantive point?
This sort of nitpicking in other people’s comments (in this and other threads) to justify ignoring the substantive point made is getting pretty tiresome.
As @rowangray said - Bus Queensland’s actions in refusing the funding to increase bus driver wages for the time they did (and perhaps still do) compared to the actions of other operators raises concerns about the culture. It wasn’t stated to be the definitive and sole cause for all bus issues in Ipswich - just a part of the story.
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A $3 million loss because the offer is unfair is a sound reason to reject the agreement. Making the offer fairer would solve that IMHO, and the added cost to Translink would be marginal.
How would you expect a wage increase to not cost more? You’re also assuming Bus Queensland would never have to have increased wages anyway. I suspect $3million over 3 years is less cost than without the subsidy.
A marginal additional cost for Translink and fairer for Bus Queensland but what about the 20 other operators covering 72% of drivers who had already agreed at that stage? Its then an unfair commercial arrangement when those other operators have found it fair and feasible to implement.
You’re also conveniently ignoring the other reasons city by Bus Queensland themselves in the article.
In the letter, Mr Davies objects to the condition that the company send its new drivers to a drivers’ forum, which covers topics such as violence, driver safety, and union membership.
Anyway. I’ll stop here as its like talking to a brickwall.
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If Translink’s offer is unfair and causes undue loss, that can serve as the sole and complete reason for not implementing the agreement.
Even if there are other reasons (e.g. poor culture), these won’t change the conclusion.
Agreements need to be fair if there is an expectation that all parties are to agree to them. The implication that a second bus company may have also found the agreement unfair (not confirmed) suggests that there is a problem with the agreement.
It also suggests a solution that works for everyone - a fairer, amended agreement from Translink that invests just a little bit more.
In the past I vaguely recall BCC publicly raised objections to some contracts that Translink had offered, and eventually it was resolved, so it’s not an unlikely scenario.
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[!info] Standard Frequency and Span of Hours Ipswich Bus Routes
[!warning] Some routes have single instances of higher frequencies. These have not been included.
| Route | Direction | Description | Peak Weekday Frequency | Off-Peak Weekday Frequency | Weekday Span | Saturday Frequency | Saturday Span | Sunday Frequency | Sunday Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | Inbound (Riverlink) | Goodna → Riverlink SC via Redbank, Riverview, Dinmore, Ebbw Vale, Booval, Ipswich | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 6:12am – 6:45pm | Every 60 min | 7:45am – 4:39pm | Every 60 min | 8:45am – 4:39pm |
| 500 | Outbound (Goodna) | Riverlink SC → Goodna via Ipswich, Booval, Ebbw Vale, Dinmore, Riverview, Redbank | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 6:42am – 7:21pm | Every 60 min | 8:36am – 5:36pm | Every 60 min | 8:36am – 5:36pm |
| 502 | Inbound (Riverlink) | Bundamba → Riverlink SC via Blackstone, Booval, Ipswich | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 6:13am – 7:16pm | Every 60 min | 8:54am – 4:54pm | Every 60 min | 9:54am – 4:54pm |
| 502 | Outbound (Bundamba) | Riverlink SC → Bundamba via Ipswich, Booval, Blackstone | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 6:42am – 8:13pm | Every 60 min | 7:43am – 4:43pm | Every 60 min | 8:43am – 4:43pm |
| 503 | Inbound (Riverlink) | Bundamba → Riverlink SC via Booval, Raceview, Eastern Heights, Ipswich | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 6:10am – 7:19pm | Every 60 min | 8:13am – 5:18pm | Every 60 min | 9:18am – 4:18pm |
| 503 | Outbound (Bundamba) | Riverlink SC → Bundamba via Ipswich, Eastern Heights, Raceview, Booval | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 6:29am – 8:17pm | Every 60 min | 8:55am – 5:55pm | Every 60 min | 8:55am – 4:55pm |
| 506 | Inbound (Riverlink) | Leichhardt / One Mile → Riverlink SC via West Ipswich | Every ~30 min | Every 30 min | 5:44am – 8:48pm | Every 60 min | 7:37am – 5:38pm | Every 60 min | 8:39am – 5:38pm |
| 506 | Outbound (Leichhardt) | Riverlink SC → Leichhardt / One Mile via West Ipswich | Every ~30 min | Every 30 min | 5:27am – 8:46pm | Every 60 min | 7:15am – 5:14pm | Every 60 min | 8:16am – 5:14pm |
| 509 | Inbound (Yamanto) | Riverlink SC → Yamanto via Ipswich, Raceview, Flinders View | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 5:51am – 7:23pm | Every 60 min | 8:03am – 5:03pm | Every 60 min | 9:03am – 4:03pm |
| 509 | Outbound (Riverlink) | Yamanto → Riverlink SC via Flinders View, Raceview, Ipswich | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 6:22am – 8:34pm | Every 60 min | 8:27am – 5:27pm | Every 60 min | 9:27am – 4:27pm |
| 512 | Inbound (Riverlink) | Brassall → Riverlink SC via Coalfalls, Woodend, Ipswich Station | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 6:09am – 8:08pm | Every 60 min | 8:09am – 5:09pm | Every 60 min | 8:09am – 4:09pm |
| 512 | Outbound (Brassall) | Riverlink SC → Brassall via Ipswich Station, Woodend, Coalfalls | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 6:45am – 7:38pm | Every 60 min | 8:33am – 5:33pm | Every 60 min | 8:33am – 5:33pm |
| 514 | Inbound (Booval Fair) | Moores Pocket → Booval Fair via Tivoli, Raymonds Hill, North Ipswich, Basin Pocket, East Ipswich | Every 60 min | Every 60 min | 6:19am – 6:22pm | Every 60 min | 7:19am – 5:19pm | — | — |
| 514 | Outbound (Moores Pocket) | Booval Fair → Moores Pocket via Basin Pocket, Ipswich, North Ipswich, Raymonds Hill, Tivoli | Every 60 min | Every 60 min | 6:24am – 6:28pm | Every 60 min | 7:24am – 5:24pm | — | — |
| 515 | Inbound (Willowbank) | Brassall → Willowbank via Riverlink SC, Ipswich Station, Churchill, Yamanto | Every ~15 min | Every ~15 min | 5:35am – 9:13pm | Every 30 min | 7:13am – 7:13pm | Every 30 min | 7:41am – 6:43pm |
| 515 | Outbound (Brassall) | Willowbank → Brassall via Churchill, Ipswich Station, Riverlink SC, North Ipswich | Every ~15 min | Every ~15 min | 5:47am – 9:14pm | Every 30 min | 6:45am – 7:15pm | Every 30 min | 7:44am – 7:44pm |
| 524 | Inbound (Goodna) | Redbank Plains → Goodna Station via Bellbird Park | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 5:37am – 8:52pm | Every 60 min | 8:00am – 6:03pm | Every 60 min | 9:00am – 5:03pm |
| 524 | Outbound (Redbank Plains) | Goodna Station → Redbank Plains via Bellbird Park | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 6:18am – 8:32pm | Every 60 min | 8:40am – 5:43pm | Every 60 min | 8:40am – 4:43pm |
| 525 | Loop (Collingwood) | Collingwood Park Loop via Redbank Station and Plaza | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 6:18am – 8:21pm | Every 60 min | 8:48am – 5:48pm | Every 60 min | 8:48am – 4:48pm |
| 526 | Inbound (Redbank) | Orion Springfield Central → Redbank via Springfield Central Station, Augustine Heights | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 5:33am – 7:35pm | Every 60 min | 8:03am – 5:03pm | Every 60 min | 8:03am – 5:03pm |
| 526 | Outbound (Orion) | Redbank → Orion Springfield Central via Redbank Plains, Augustine Heights, Springfield Central | Every 30 min | Every 60 min | 5:51am – 8:24pm | Every 60 min | 8:19am – 5:19pm | Every 60 min | 9:19am – 5:19pm |
| 527 | Inbound (Goodna) | Orion → Goodna Station via Springfield, Camira, Gailes | Every 30 min | Every 30 min | 5:26am – 8:23pm | Every 60 min | 8:18am – 5:18pm | Every 60 min | 8:18am – 5:18pm |
| 527 | Outbound (Orion) | Goodna Station → Orion via Camira, Springfield | Every 30 min | Every 30 min | 5:41am – 8:16pm | Every 60 min | 8:10am – 6:10pm | Every 60 min | 9:10am – 5:10pm |
| 528 | Inbound (Orion) | Springfield Station → Orion via Springfield Lakes | Every 30 min | Every 30 min | 5:36am – 8:30pm | Every 60 min | 7:28am – 5:28pm | Every 60 min | 8:18am – 4:28pm |
| 528 | Outbound (Springfield) | Orion → Springfield Station via Springfield Lakes | Every 30 min | Every 30 min | 5:34am – 8:26pm | Every 60 min | 8:33am – 5:33pm | Every 60 min | 8:14am – 5:33pm |
| 531 | Inbound (Springfield Central) | Yamanto → Springfield Central via Ripley | Every 60 min | Every 120 min | 5:44am – 9:27pm | Every 120 min | 7:57am – 5:57pm | — | — |
| 531 | Outbound (Yamanto) | Springfield Central → Yamanto via Ripley | Every 60 min | Every 120 min | 5:34am – 9:33pm | Every 120 min | 9:00am – 6:33pm | — | — |
| 533 | Clockwise (Spring Mountain) | Orion → Spring Mountain via Springfield Central and Springfield Lakes (Clockwise loop) | Every 60 min | Every 60 min | 6:08am – 8:35pm | Every 120 min | 7:38am – 5:01pm | Every 120 min | 8:28am – 4:01pm |
| 533 | Anti-Clockwise (Orion) | Orion → Spring Mountain via Springfield Mountain and Springfield Lakes (Anti-clockwise loop) | Every 60 min | Every 60 min | 6:40am – 9:04pm | Every 120 min | 8:08am – 6:02pm | Every 120 min | 9:08am – 5:02pm |
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[!info] Bus routes in Ipswich with a frequency every 30 minutes or better off peak weekdays.
| Route | Off-Peak Weekday Frequency | Origin → Destination |
|---|---|---|
| 506 | Every 30 min | Leichhardt / One Mile → Riverlink SC |
| 515 | Every ~15 min | Brassall → Willowbank |
| 527 | Every 30 min | Orion → Goodna Station |
| 528 | Every 30 min | Springfield Station → Orion |
[!info] Routes with ≥2hr Off-Peak Weekday Frequency
| Route | Off-Peak Weekday Frequency | Origin → Destination |
|---|---|---|
| 531 | Every 120 min | Yamanto → Springfield Central |
| 533 | Every 120 min | Orion → Spring Mountain (Clockwise Loop) |
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