A RESIDENT of Ipswich’s One Mile neighbourhood has voiced his frustration over the city’s lack of public transport services during late hours.
Robert Kemp’s concerns come amid ongoing efforts by the Ipswich City Council to revitalise the city’s nightlife.
While the local government has been working to bring more entertainment options to the city’s centre, Mr Kemp believes that without accessible and reliable public transport, these initiatives will be hindered.
“I find it hard to believe that the city of Ipswich has no bus services after 9pm on weekdays and 6pm on weekends,” he said.
“We have a City Council trying to get nightlife back into the centre of Ipswich, but unless you use either an almost non-existent taxi service or Uber, there is no other way to get home after an evening out.”
The lack of late-night transport options was concerning, he said, especially given the number of events held in the city.
“But unless you can afford taxis or Ubers, you cannot get home,” he said.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding acknowledged the issue, stating that while Ipswich is one of Queensland’s fastest-growing cities, it has historically received some of the lowest State investment in public transport compared to neighbouring councils.
“This has been a huge focus of Council’s advocacy efforts to the Queensland and Australian governments,” Cr Harding said.
Calling for action, Mr Kemp urged local officials to step up.
“Where is the Mayor and the Council pushing for the State Government to get us a better bus service after hours?
Where are our local State Members of Parliament? Ipswich deserves much better.”
State Member for Ipswich Jennifer Howard emphasised the importance of improving public transport, stating she had “lobbied hard” for the Ipswich to Springfield rail line, securing $7.5 million over six years for planning.
She also noted the 2020 Ipswich Transport and Mobility Study led to a three-year project to expand bus routes, improving connections to train stations and growing suburbs.
