The first project cab off the rank (pun intended) for AIG in 2021 is the Bagala Remote Community Bus project. AIG is working with Bagala Aboriginal Corporation (BAC) in Barunga to start up a public bus service to take people between Beswick, Barunga and Katherine.
“Beswick and Barunga are very close to each other and people move between both communities all the time. They share the same Traditional Owners and families live in both communities but don’t always have the means to travel between the two. It’s common for people to rely on lifts to Katherine and between Beswick and Barunga but if they have to be at an appointment in Katherine for example, there is very little reliability on how people can come and go,” explains Alexa Gutenberger the Chief Operating Officer at AIG.
Old buses were fraught
In the past BAC had two buses meant for community purposes like going to sports events and attending funerals. It was difficult to make sure the buses were being used for the purpose they were intended, and on the whole, the bus system wasn’t working well, and certainly wasn’t financially sustainable.
There had to be a better way
People were spending $150 one way to take a cab from Barunga or Beswick to Katherine which is a massive cost for them. It was obvious there is a need for public transport and so we started thinking about bringing the two issues together. Firstly, to offer a way to reliably move around the region, and the secondly to offer an option that was better value for money.
Community consultation
Once it was decided between BAC and AIG the bus was an idea worth pursuing, it was time to talk to the community. We involved the local school students to door knock in both Barunga and Beswick to ask people to fill out a survey. We needed to know firstly if people thought the bus idea was worthwhile and something they might use. Secondly, we wanted to know if it was a service people were willing to pay for and thirdly the days and times preferred by people.
The data collected showed us that yes, the bus was something people would be interested in using and were willing to pay for the service. The timing of the service will be eight runs per day, three days a week between Barunga and Beswick, and three runs per week return to Katherine. The cost would be $8 one way for the Beswick Barunga run and $25 one way to Katherine.
Aboriginal owned social enterprise
Before we moved forward, we needed to ensure the project was going to not only provide a valuable service but would create employment opportunities locally. At this stage we predict there will be three, local driver positions attached to the project. The project will be owned by BAC and profits will be reinvested in the project to ensure sustainability.
Grant funding
The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics offer a public transport grant that was perfect for this project. We originally asked to fund one year of operational costs and the Department came back to us and said they really liked the project and offered three years of operational expenses which will cover the day-to-day costs but not the capital of the bus.
We also have funding from CDP 1000 jobs, which means if people come from CDP and take up a bus driver position, their wages are fully funded for the first two years.
Service to begin in March
At this stage we’re all set to launch the public bus service in early March 2021 which is very exciting.
AIG is expecting some teething problems around timetables and user numbers “we need to test it out so we can solve the problems whatever they might be,” said Alexa.
As with all our AIG projects, we need to be agile, review and reflect and adapt to ensure we achieve our social and economic outcomes and make our Bagala Remote Community Bus a success story that can be also rolled out into other communities.
We’ll keep you posted.
