Following research called for by the Member for Frome, Geoff Brock, and conducted by industry body Bus SA on behalf of the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI), the State Government has funded a 12 month pilot of a Regional Accessibility Committee (RAC) in Port Pirie and the surrounding districts.

The RAC will help move people in the Port Pirie region who are without or have limited access to mobility options, including the regular town service, taxis, or community services, as well as those offered by the Northern Passenger Transport Network which is based in Melrose.

The RAC has a primary aim to improve transport options and share information about those options to those who need to move around the region.  It will undertake an advisory function that brings existing transport providers together with potential clients in a model that is focussed on benefits for locals.

The functional arm – where clients will be helped – is to be called Moving People Pirie.  Moving People Pirie will act as a journey “broker”, matching a traveller to a trip provided by an existing provider, or where necessary getting that person to an existing service.

Bus SA has appointed Michele Pole to coordinate Moving People Pirie, and the Kent Group’s Jared Kent has agreed to provide office facilities at their Esmond Road depot as well as Chair the RAC.

“Over the years our family, through our business, has noticed there are people across the region that we can’t assist with their mobility challenges,” said Kent. “We believe this model provides a solution through sharing and coordinating vehicles that could be highly effective in helping those people by focussing on people’s trips rather than on services alone.”

“Moving People Pirie is about the mobility solution – getting the person to their destination – by using existing vehicles and services wherever possible,” said Pole.  “Our role will be to help people to understand their options – whether they can use a taxi, or are eligible for a community transport service, or need help understanding how to use the town service.”

Where existing services cannot provide the mobility solution, Moving People Pirie will utilise existing vehicles with a small co-payment to provide trips for travellers.  This is an efficient and cost effective solution to get the people who want to make a trip on their way.

Moving People Pirie can be contacted at hello@movingpeoplepirie.org.au.

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