Transport for NSW has extended four pilot programs for on-demand public transport and discontinued two.
A spokesperson for the Agency said the On Demand pilots operating on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and Eastern Suburbs, as well as pilots in Woy Woy on the Central Coast and in Newcastle would be continued for another six months.
The RidePlus pilot in the Manly area and OurBus pilot in the Carlingford-North Rocks area are to be wound down.
“These pilots, which are the first On Demand transport tested in NSW, are about learning as much as possible about this flexible, new format of getting customers where they need to go,” the spokesperson said.
“The overarching objective of the program is to test and learn through the delivery of temporary pilots, each with unique characteristics and each serving different areas and communities in NSW.
“We always said changes would be made as results of the pilots were evaluated.”
The spokesperson said the On Demand pilots, announced in August 2017, were scheduled to run for a minimum term of six months up to a maximum of 24 months.
“On Demand Transport is expected to feature in future contracts all over the State with learnings from the pilots to inform Transport for NSW’s planning, procurement and delivery of future transport services, with a view of improving customer outcomes,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said customers of the two discontinued pilots would now begin to be notified by the operators, and the services would cease from this Friday (24 May).
