Two Australian states offer free public transport as war pushes up fuel prices

Public transport in two Australian states will be made free to incentivise people not to drive as fuel prices soar due to the war in the Middle East.

Victoria, home to Melbourne, has said it will have free travel throughout April, while Tasmania has said commuters will not need to pay from Monday until the end of June.

However, other state governments have so far declined to follow suit, with New South Wales (in which Sydney is located) indicating it was reserving funds to meet increased demand for public transport.

Australia is among a host of nations that have seen fuel prices increase sharply since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The near-total blockade of international shipping in the vital waterway - through which around 20% of the world's oil and natural gas flows - has led governments around the world to begin implementing measures to conserve fuel.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sought to reassure motorists on Friday following reports of panic-buying and petrol stations running dry.

Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan announced on Saturday that trains, trams and buses in the state would be free for all from Tuesday in a bid to drive down pressure on petrol pumps. "This won't solve every problem, but it's an immediate step to help Victorians right now," she said.

Meanwhile, the government of Tasmania - an island off the Australian mainland - announced people would be able to take its coaches, buses and ferries without charge for the coming few months. "We know the rising cost of fuel is impacting the family budget, and that's why we have again taken strong and decisive action to protect Tasmanians," its Premier Jeremy Rockliff said.

Tasmania's transport minister also noted that paid-for school buses would be made free, saving those who use them A$20 (£10.40) a week. But other Australian states have demurred from similar actions.

NSW transport minister John Graham told broadcasters his state was keeping its "powder dry" as "this situation will last more than a month".

South Australia said it was expanding the number of senior travel cards while absorbing higher fuel costs, and a spokesperson for Queensland pointed to it introducing a flat 50-cent fare last February in comments to SBS News.

Similarly, Western Australia Premier Roger Cook said his state had already reduced fares. "Rick Astley was top of the charts when fares were this low in Western Australia back in the 80s," he said.

The average price of petrol in Australia had risen to A$2.38 a litre as of last Sunday, up from around A$2.09 when the war began a month ago, according to figures from the Australian Institute of Petroleum.

The Australian government says supply is not an issue - rather, sharp rises in the price of oil on the international market has had a knock-on effect on the price of fuels derived from it.

With only a trickle of cargo ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz without fear of being hit by Iran, there are concerns a prolonged blockage could have a wider impact on the global economy.

These rising costs have already led several other governments to implement fuel-saving measures.

Shops, restaurants and cafes in Egypt were told to close early from Saturday as part of a raft of measures that also included non-essential workers being told to work from home one day a week and increasing public transport fares.

At the same time, the Ethiopian government told state-owned companies and public institutions to place non-essential staff on leave so they would not travel into work.

On Tuesday, the Philippines declared a national emergency, with its government offering subsidies to transport drivers, reducing ferry services and implementing a four-day work week for civil servants.

We had them in the uk and they  were bloody terrible to drive

Hence America's iconic yellow school buses with their flip-out stop signs. Problem is, you then need a dedicated fleet of buses.

 Problem is telling buses apart??

'Our daughters got on a school bus and never came home'


Caitlin-Rose (left) and Caitlin (right) both lost their lives when they were hit by cars after exiting school buses

The grief that follows the loss of a child means that Bob Hogg and Stella McGinn's families have more in common than either would have ever wished for.

Stella's daughter, Caitlin-Rose, and Bob's daughter Caitlin, whose middle name is Rose, both set off for school and never came home.

While the girls lost their lives two years apart, in different parts of the country, the circumstances are tragically similar.

Both died after being hit by a car when getting off a school bus. But as well as being connected by loss, both families have been united in their campaign to change the law to improve school bus safety across Northern Ireland.

There is no legal requirement anywhere in the UK for other vehicles to stop when a school bus is picking up or dropping off.

On Thursday, Stormont's infrastructure minister launched a consultation to get the public's views on proposed law changes designed to improve the safety of children travelling to and from school by bus.

Liz Kimmins' proposals include making it illegal to overtake a bus when it is stationary.

Last year, Mid Ulster Council passed a motion calling for law changes around bus safety.

SDLP councillor, Denise Johnston has supported some of the families in their campaign. "It's positive to see some progress around the law changes, but we now need to get it over the line," she said.

(BBC article continues)

Why can't they use Wilmslow?

Article in the Times newspaper.

"We live three minutes from the station — and can’t catch a train"

(The station in question: Wilmslow)

The updated NRCoT will only be released on April 1st, acording to National Rail - I asked.

Article in the Times newspaper.

"We live three minutes from the station — and can’t catch a train"

(The station in question: Wilmslow)

(Paywalled) https://www.thetimes.com/uk/transport/article/east-west-rail-winslow-oxford-milton-keynes-002w6bkmq

Years ago, we took our kids (youngest now 40) the the Disney park outside Paris. We They had an excellent time on the many rides. One ride we didn't do was train to the place ...

CalMac warns of 'critical shortage' as eight ferries now out of action


MV Lord of the Isles suspended all sailings after an engine problem

Engine problems have put an eighth CalMac ferry out of action, as the operator apologised for a "critical" shortage of ships.

MV Lord of the Isles, which has been sailing the Oban to Mull route, suspended all sailings on Saturday after a "technical issue" with its main engine.

Three other large ferries - including CalMac's troubled Glen Sannox vessel - are already unavailable, while four other ships are undergoing annual maintenance.

The state-owned firm told island communities that the situation was the "most pressing" it had faced and disruption would continue into next week.

CalMac said "virtually every island served by a major vessel" on its west of Scotland network was being affected by the shortage of ships.

(BBC article continues)

'Almost every island' facing disruption due to ferry shortage, warns CalMac


CalMac's two newest ships MV Glen Sannox and MV Isle of Islay are both unavailable while faults are investigated

West coast ferry operator CalMac has said "almost every island served by a major vessel" is facing disruption as it grapples with an "unprecedented" shortage of ships.

Three large ferries - including its two newest vessels MV Glen Sannox and MV Isle of Islay - are still unavailable while faults are investigated, and four other ships are away for annual maintenance. But some relief has come to Arran after a fourth major vessel, MV Caledonian Isles, was repaired and resumed services from Ardrossan.

The state-owned firm said it had established an incident management team which would be on hand throughout the weekend to help manage services and repairs.


MV Caledonian Isles is now back in service, restoring sailings from the mainland to Brodick in Arran

CalMac chief executive Duncan Mackison said that despite repairs to Caledonian Isles and a smaller vessel, MV Coruisk, the operator was still dealing with an "unprecedented level of challenges on our network."

"This disruption is affecting virtually every island served by a major vessel and we are profoundly sorry for that," he added. "We are doing what we can to restore these services as quickly as possible."

MV Glen Sannox, which sails to Arran from Troon, developed a problem with a flexible coupling in its exhaust system early on Thursday. A quick repair allowed it to return for one sailing but the problem re-occurred so it has now been withdrawn until Tuesday for a permanent fix and checks to ensure it is available for Easter weekend.

A separate recurring issue with an engine warning light which began shortly after its return from annual maintenance in Merseyside is believed to have been remedied. CalMac suspects it was due to incorrect oil levels and an electrical fault which have now been addressed.



MV Isle of Islay, the first of four new ferries built in Turkey, was meant to enter service on the Islay route on Friday but that has been pushed back until at least Monday. A specialist engineer has been brought in to investigate an engine management system fault and other "snagging issues" are also being looked at.

MV Isle of Arran, a 42-year-old ship affectionately known as the Auld Trooper, has a problem with its fire suppression system. Other faults have since been found with a coupling and a bow thruster, and it is likely to be out of action until early next week.

Four other vessels - MV Hebrides, MV Loch Frisa, MV Isle of Lewis and the chartered catamaran MV Alfred - are all away for scheduled maintenance or repairs.

Because they'd want to meet in the middle of the two fares so as not to lose farebox revenue, meaning the cheaper price rises....

- what is visibility like at Dockyard -

Babcock, the Devonport Royal Dockyard operator, is actively reducing the amount of on-site car parking for staff. They are paying for an extensive network of bus routes morning and evening.
Maybe this has resulted in an increase in Dockyard Station use? Is there a similar increase at Devonport and Keyham stations?