Mayors face off in public transport challenge

TWO local council mayors are going head to head in a month-long challenge to highlight the benefits of public transport use in the greater Hobart area.

In a friendly rivalry to be held for the entire month of February, Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds and Glenorchy Mayor Kristie Johnston are topping up their Metro Greencards and ditching their cars in favour of public transport in a mission to rack up the most bus trips.

And they are encouraging locals to come along for the ride.

In doing this, the mayors hope to encourage greater investment in public transport, while also raising awareness about current public transport options and reducing their carbon footprint.

Cr Reynolds said she was passionate about promoting the use of alternative methods of transport and encouraging people to stop relying on cars for all journeys.

“In fact, when I became Lord Mayor, I ditched the chauffeur driven car in favour of using public transport or walking,” she said.

“I also think it’s important that community leaders demonstrate to the community that public transport is an effective and easy way to get around.

“Hobart has the lowest use of public transport of any capital city – only one in 20 people use public transport to get to work.

“Even if Hobartians took one journey a week by public transport, that would help our traffic congestion.”

If you haven’t caught a bus since school or are unsure how the system works in Tasmania, then tune in to the mayors’ journey as they share their lived experiences throughout the month through daily blog posts on Facebook.

To join the challenge and log your own experiences, visit www.facebook.com/events /1492475914260534.

Caption: From left, Glenorchy Mayor Kristie Johnston, Associate Professor Verity Cleland and Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds on a Metro bus in Moonah.