Transport Connections Evaluation Report - TDSA

ABCD
Department of Human Services
Transport Connections Program
Government
July 2006
• a decrease of 9,228 kilometres in travel for the community health transport, and thus a
decrease in recurrent costs
• lower capital requirements for the community health program as the life of the vehicle is
either extended or the vehicle is not required at all.
Better coordination of resources, and planning for service delivery, are activities that require
time to embed in communities as process and procedure changes are required from an agency
and provider perspective.
In some instances, service substitution is being explored. For example, the initiative of the
Southern Mallee TCP developing a non-emergency patient transfer service to free up the limited
paramedic services, being applied in the Macedon Ranges shire. This is in the early stages,
however health services in that area have identified a growing problem of getting people to
Melbourne for medical appointments.
Overall, there are examples where transport provision is being undertaken more efficiently that
could be applied across other areas. Sharing of resources is beginning to occur in a number of
locations, and there is a heightened focus on efficiency in a regional and rural setting to ensure
transport is meeting the needs of the community (and those transport disadvantaged within the
community).
Dargo Community Bus
Dargo is a remote community located on the Dargo River 120 km north of Sale in the Great Dividing
Ranges. The local TCP project (Let’s GET Connected) was invited to jointly host a community
meeting in conjunction with the Best Start Program to assist with the Dargo Community Bus initiative.
Best Start, Dargo Primary School and the TCP project each contributed $5,000 to the purchase of the
second hand 18-seater bus, after signing a partnership agreement. 8 The Dargo Community Bus Service
provides a flexible service to the entire Dargo community, with the Dargo Primary School being the
owner and accredited operator of the bus. The model of operation is based on the Cohuna Bus project
that was implemented in 1997, and continues to operate today .9
Since the community bus came into service, it has been used on 3810 occasions by the Dargo Primary
School to allow students to participate in an exchange program with Stratford Primary school on a
weekly basis, to attend swimming lessons in Sale, and other social activities such as arts functions.
The Dargo Primary School will begin using the bus twice weekly from the beginning of the next school
term to further improve interaction with a larger school as Dargo Primary is now down to five
students. The local community has also made use of the bus on eight occasions for activities such as
golf days, funerals, and local pub transport. 11
This service, has been successful in providing local residents (in particular local primary school
students) access to services and activities that may have been difficult to access previously, and
utilising a community resource efficiently to meet the entire community need.
8 Information provided by Let’s GET Connected Case Study.
9 Ibid
10 Information provided by Dargo Primary School
11 Ibid
Final Evaluation - Transport Connections Program 2006
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