CDC NSW’s Woopi Connect On Demand bus service is finishing 2020 on a high according to the latest customer patronage figures.

The service, which is funded by the NSW Government, has been connecting communities around Woolgoolga, Safety Beach and Mullaway, as well as Arrawarra Headland, Arrawarra and Corindi Beach since 2019. It remained operational throughout 2020 while enduring lower customer numbers due to the impacts of COVID-19.

However, according to CDC NSW Regional Manager Tony Mills, patronage numbers for November have shown a sharp increase.

“We are thrilled to see that more people in the community are coming back to Woopi Connect,” Mr Mills said.

“While we’ve been operating the service for almost two years, it’s already found an important place in the lives of many people and we’re pleased to see this continuing.

“In addition to helping those who use it to commute to work or school or for social gatherings, the service has provided independence and a greater level of inclusiveness to customers who previously found public transport difficult to use.

“This has included several customers with visual impairment and it is helping those with other disabilities and mobility issues travel to vital medical appointments.

“Woopi Connect has also enjoyed the support of numerous businesses throughout Woolgoolga, which recognise the value of the service and its role in keeping the local economy firing.

Mr Mills saw the increase in customer numbers as a result of many factors.

“We see the return of larger numbers of customers as a result of an increase in confidence in the public transport network and the efforts we all make to keep COVID-safe, such as regular deep cleaning of our vehicles,” Mr Mills said.

“Customer number have also been helped by the re-opening of local community hubs such as our clubs, restaurants and cafes.

“We’d like to thank all of the customers and businesses in the local community who have continued to support the service and we’re looking forward to a great 2021 with you,” he said.

To learn how to use Woopi Connect and download the app, please go to https://woopiconnect.com.au/.

With the opening of Catherine McAuley College Medowie, commencing term one 2021 services to Medowie and Raymond Terrace Schools will have the following changes.

Due to the closure of Grahamstown Rd between Richardson Rd and Wade Close from 11th of Jan 2021, a Medowie Shuttle Bus route 9999 will operate between Lakeside Terrace on Grahamstown Rd Mon - Sat from the 11th of Jan (see route and timetable attached) and connect with our 136 and 137 services at Medowie Shops. On Sundays and Public Holidays, the 136 & 137 will run as far as the Lakeside Terrace turnaround in place of the Shuttle with some late running to be expected.

With regard School Services commencing on the 27th of January and to avoid major disruption, Council will grant access to all buses through the roadworks under traffic control.

Hunter Valley Buses regrets any inconvenience during this period.

Leading bus operator CDC NSW has cemented its partnership with Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation (KBHAC) during its first KBHAC Mobile Education Centre (MEC) community visit post COVID-19.

The MEC, a converted commuter bus nicknamed ‘Benny’ which features an audio-visual system and printed historical information on Stolen Generations, is the first of its kind and integral to helping KBHAC members tell their stories in a range of locations.

The MEC will be used as a tool of education for schools, for community groups and those who work with Aboriginal people and the Aboriginal community.

Mikhail Mikhail, driver for CDC NSW, steered the MEC to a Healing Session at Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC) in Little Bay where it was unveiled to a group of Kinchela Boy’s Home survivors and AH&MRC staff.

The partnership is an important part of CDC NSW’s contributions to causes that assist with reconciliation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

CDC NSW has committed to maintaining and storing the MEC between outings and will also provide KBHAC with drivers to take the bus to different communities across New South Wales.

In turn, KBHAC is assisting CDC NSW by helping it employ more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander apprentices and staff and provide guidance on maintaining a culturally safe and supportive working environment for them.

KBHAC will also be conducting ongoing cultural awareness training with CDC NSW’s staff.

CDC NSW General Manager for Innovation and Organisational Development, Ravinder Singh, said the partnership was a great way for CDC NSW to use its resources to back a very important cause while helping achieve the company’s reconciliation goals.

“We are very proud and excited about getting involved with Kinchela Boys Home survivors and collaborating with them in getting Benny in tip-top condition, so they can get out there and continue with the healing and reconciliation process,” Mr Singh said.

KBHAC CEO, Dr Tiffany McComsey thanked CDC NSW for kindly agreeing to sponsor the Mobile Education Centre.

“We are very grateful to CDC NSW for agreeing to look after our MEC and ensuring that the bus is road worthy, but also providing us with bus drivers to help be part of this journey and who can help transport this bus where it needs to go is a godsend,” Dr McComsey said.

“We’re hoping it enriches CDC NSW as an organisation and also that the experiences are ones that can be shared with the CDC families of the employees who work there”.

“The stories from KBH are important stories to tell. This bus is very much like a sacred space. When you go inside the bus, you realise you are inside the KBH story,” she said.

“As a small organisation we are so grateful to CDC NSW for providing the oversight and maintenance – we know it is in good hands.”

Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation (KBHAC) was established by survivors of Kinchela Aboriginal Boys Training Home (KBH), a ‘home’ run by the NSW Government for over 50 years to house Aboriginal boys forcibly removed from their families.

CDC NSW is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia (CDC). In NSW, CDC NSW operates Hillsbus and Forest Coach Lines in Sydney, as well as other regional cities outside of Sydney including Blue Mountains Transit, Hunter Valley Buses, Blanch’s Bus Company on the north coast and CDC Broken Hill.

To find out more about KBHAC Stolen Generation Mobile Education Centre (MEC) visit here.