SOUTHLINK BUSES

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (15:38): I rise today to speak about the overwhelming concerns of commuters using the replacement bus services while current track upgrades are taking place on the rail line between Mawson Lakes and Gawler. I have had a large number of complaints and concerns expressed to me, and today to summarise those I will read from an email I was sent last month. It was addressed to me and states:

John, I just want to raise some concerns with you regarding the safety and roadworthiness of the train replacement buses provided by SouthLink. Late last year and early this year SouthLink provided replacement buses whilst the Noarlunga line was upgraded. A friend of mind was telling me at the time of the horror trips on some decrepit old buses with no working air-conditioning or heating. When the upgrade was complete, a SouthLink employee told my friend that these same buses would be used when the Gawler line was upgraded later in the year. I just thought he was just teasing and laughed it off. However, on the first day of the replacement buses I realised it was no joke. The buses provided by SouthLink are the very same old clunkers used on the Noarlunga Line.

In regards to the lack of heating and cooling, we experienced this at the end of the first week when temperatures reached the 20s. On the way home, it became quite hot in the bus, and passengers including myself started to fiddle with air vents, only to realise that there was no cool air. I asked my friend more about what their experience was earlier in the year, and he recounted that they were told by the drivers that there was no working heating or cooling on any of the buses. They were told that it just recycles the outside air. So in the peak of summer, they had 40-degree air being pumped in.

From what we experienced when the temperature hit the 20s, I can't wait until we experience the 40s in December, January and February.

On the point of safety, I question the roadworthiness of the buses. On bus #565 two Wednesday nights ago, passengers were thrown violently against the seats in front of them when the driver applied the breaks and they grabbed immediately. This occurred 5 times on the trip home when [the] driver attempted to apply the brakes. On other occasions in an attempt to avoid this problem, the driver tried to apply the brakes slowly only to have the bus pull to one side. This is not pleasant in an articulated bus.

Last Thursday night (6/10), we arrived at Mawson Lakes station to find the GA1, GA2 and GA3 buses waiting, but no GA4. The other 3 buses left, leaving the Gawler passengers waiting. No staff bothered to advise us what was happening. After about 10 minutes a bus came speeding up, with [the] driver advising the supervisor that he got lost. We boarded the bus and I started to chat to an acquaintance and we were commenting on how particularly cruddy this particular bus was, when we looked out the window a few minutes later we realised we were back at Mawson Lakes station!!!! The driver got lost again—that's what he told the supervisor as we passed through...

That is just a small amount of a number of the examples that I have had passed on to me about the unacceptable nature of many of the bus replacement services that have been provided on that Gawler to Mawson Lakes link.

We have other situations where there is no wheelchair access on any of those buses during the week. Until very recently, constituents who need mobility device access on a bus had to give four days' notice to get one; now they have the luxury of only one day's notice. When they do get to Mawson Lakes, of course, the lift has not been working there for weeks.

Many of the buses arrive at Mawson Lakes missing their connecting train link. There are many occasions where the buses are grossly overcrowded and, in some cases, they have absolutely no-one on them. There are a number of issues. I have taken them up with new minister Fox and her predecessor Mr Conlon, and I wish that they examine them promptly.