Residents demand peak time bus service from Marsden Park Elara to Schofields

Marsden Park Elara is an ideal neighbourhood to live in. However, the apathy of the authorities to their demand for a peak-time bus service to Schofields has frustrated the residents.

As question marks linger over the future of their free shuttle, residents are demanding better action and response from the state government. They are calling on the government to improve bus services. The free shuttle service, funded by the developer Stockland for peak time services from Elara to Schofields station has been in operation since November 2018. However, this temporary service is set to end by November 2019, leaving the residents no option to commute to the station.

As such, the frustrated residents in Marsden Park’s Elara estate are rallying for a peak time bus service to Schofields so that their travels woes are resolved. The residents felt the “unreliable” buses to Riverstone station were running empty as commuters and students crammed onto the Schofields shuttle due to the station’s more frequent train services.

Elara residents are of the opinion that the current bus services in the estate are insufficient to meet the needs of commuters and students at peak times. As the 12-month agreement ends in November, the future of shuttle is rather uncertain.

The community had been petitioning Transport for NSW since 2017

The community had been petitioning Transport for NSW since 2017 to introduce peak services to Schofields station but their demands had “fallen on deaf ears”.  Residents said that they just want a service to suit their needs and help them commute using public transport and ease the congestion on Richmond Road.

As the number of people using the shuttle bus is high, it is obvious that the community needs it. This is in contrast to the current services, which run empty every morning and afternoon to Riverstone, which for some strange reason was picked as the connection point for Elara residents.

A recent survey of the residents found that “It’s a daily stress and the community is disappointed by the fact the government is not listening to us.” Without a reliable shuttle service, the residents run the risk of missing the trains, which run only every 30 minutes. A bus to Schofields would mean even if the bus is a bit late, they can get on the trains that are twice as frequent when compared to Schofields.

Improvements to bus services in Marsden Park Elara would be introduced within the next 12 months

According to a Transport NSW spokesperson improvements to bus services in the estate would be introduced within the next 12 months. The spokesman said that “While route 747 services currently do not operate beyond Riverstone or from Elara Estate during peak periods, Transport NSW is investigating opportunities to introduce peak services into these areas as soon as practicable.”

Further, in a letter to Elara residents in June 2018, a Transport NSW representative said that current bus services were an “interim measure”. “While Transport NSW does appreciate that existing services may not match all customers’ preferences, they provide a basic link to train services and shops while planning is undertaken for future services,” the letter said. “Future services will be informed by local development activity and new road networks as development progresses.”

In the meantime, Stockland senior development manager Patrick Noble said that negotiations were underway to improve the bus services. He said that they were in discussions with Transport NSW to find a long-term solution when the current (shuttle) arrangement ceases in November. He also assured continuous support to the residents in their demand for additional transport links from Elara.