• The Coochie Bus: Tales of Two Islands
• 'Wedding Island' Fiasco
• Supporting Your Island Firies
• Island Café notice
  
• Robertson Boulevard Wall Party
• Moon Dance: The Wall
• Woody Point AGM
• Feast for Freedom
• Easter Egg Hunt
• Anzac Day Memorial Service
• International Folk Dancing
• Wedding Island
• Native plants for sale

The Coochie Bus

Tales of Two Islands: Community Transport

The Coochie Bus, which entered service on Coochiemudlo Island in December 2021

In this edition we continue comparing our offshore community with that on Coochiemudlo, an island set in Moreton Bay, close to Brisbane. Last month we contrasted our tribulations relating to mainland parking, and it looked as though we have the upper hand. Below we consider island community transport. In that regard our Queensland friends may have a few things to teach us. But fear not, Scotland Island, because rescue may be at hand.

The first Scotland Island community vehicle, which entered service in March 1995, exactly 30 years ago. Photo supplied by June Lahm.

By my calculation, no Scotland Islander lives more than 500 metres by foot from a public wharf. The catch, of course, is that the walk is often along a steep and rough track, and it’s all uphill when coming home burdened by shopping. That’s why in the mid-1990s a group of islanders, led by Chris Cromwell, applied for state funding for a community vehicle. The service began exactly 30 years ago and a big thanks goes out to everyone who has kept it going.

Topographically, Coochiemudlo Island, often abbreviated to Coochie, has the opposite problem to us. It’s flat, but it has only one point of ingress, that being a public ferry wharf. That means that residents without an island car face a walk of up to 20 minutes (1.4 km) at the end of a long day. What’s more, have friends on the other side of the island and they could be 2 km away.

That’s why a group of Coochiemudlo residents recently applied for funding to establish community transport. The Coochie Bus, as it’s known, began in December 2021, and what’s staggering is that the service carried on average 18,700 passengers in each of its first three years of operation. That’s over six times the number carried by our community vehicle, even though Coochie has just 20% more full-time residents.

The current Scotland Island community vehicle with Graeme Crayford and Cass Gye, who ran it for many years

By all appearances the Coochie Bus offers an impressive service. Its aim is to meet every daytime ferry and the vehicle can carry six passengers at a time (as opposed to our four). The bus can also accommodate a wheelchair, which we can’t.

On the flip side, they don’t operate Saturdays, whereas we do. The Coochie bus is driven by volunteers who work four-hour shifts, while others staff the phone, taking bookings.

What might explain the bus’s extensive patronage is that their full fare is just $2.50 per passenger, whereas we charge $15 per trip ($10 concession). On Coochie, children under five go free, students travel for $1, and there’s even a six-month pass for $50 (students $25).

That means that an adult using the Coochie Bus twice daily for six months will end up paying less than 20c per trip. Considering that the Coochie ferry costs just 50c per trip and Coochie transport costs are negligible. 

The two services run on very different funding models. In the case of our vehicle, funding comes from the State of New South Wales. But look at the Coochie Bus website and you’ll see a long list of private sponsors, including local businesses, families and individuals.

The Coochie Bus can carry six passengers and accommodate a wheelchair

That said, the Coochie Bus was set up via the public purse. The vehicle was purchased thanks to a grant from the Queensland Government’s ‘Gambling Community Benefit Fund’. That means that the bus was paid for out of taxes levied on Queensland’s pokie machines. No doubt the idea is to make gambling taxes more palatable by using them to fund popular schemes such as this.

New South Wales has adopted a different approach. Under NSW’s ClubGRANTS scheme, certain licensed premises liable to pay gaming machine taxes can apply for rebates in return for funding services. Clubs don’t save money by doing so, but they get to enjoy the goodwill that comes from direct support of community projects.   

NSW has now extended this approach in the form of the AirGRANTS scheme. This permits airlines to claim tax rebates in return for funding projects that mitigate the environmental and cultural damage they cause.

The European experience of budget airlines has been that many historical cities are swamped with tourists. It’s a pity that Qantas didn’t use AirGRANTS to fund the faux ruined city ramparts appearing around Scotland Island. These lend the medieval chic needed to wean Australians off long haul tourist destinations.

That opportunity may have been missed. But now a group of islanders are in talks with Qantas’s subsidiary, Jetstar. As Australia’s largest budget airline, the hope is that Jetstar will sponsor our community vehicle service. The aim is to lower our base fare to $2.50, thus matching that of the Coochie Bus.

Robertson Road, Scotland Island

That said, remember that we are dealing with a budget carrier. In order to keep the service viable, there will be caveats. The main proviso is that our drivers will need to charge per shopping bag. A modest charge of $2 per bag will increase the average fare to $10.50.

Even so, that’s still a substantial saving on the current fare of $15. Unfortunately, the booking fee, compulsory seat reservation and surcharge for payments involving card, electronic transfers or cash will increase that fare to, well, $15. Anyone trying to pay with a $50 note will be charged extra. The normal airline prohibitions on guns, explosives, furniture and building material will apply.

The current standard of service will be maintained. Depending on the driver of the day, Business Class passengers (front seat) will be provided with the latest about the play, free nutritional advice based on that week’s shopping, or an explanation as to why you really should be walking, particularly if you have no bags. Billy’s express service will continue.

Due to the munificence of our drivers, the $10 concessionary fare will be retained. Unfortunately, due to the re-designation of the back seat as Premium Economy, non-full fare passengers may on occasion be reseated in the rear economy section. Hopefully, Cass has retained the mat previously used to stop dogs sliding around in the tray.

So, remember, ‘Low fares, good times’. Provided you obey the rules: give half an hour’s notice, book trips between 8 am and 9 am by 6 pm the previous day, and so on.You know the score.

'Wedding Island' Fiasco

Breaking news: island play in jeopardy

Supporting Your Island Firies

Scotland Island Rural Fire Brigade