City of Newcastle has started surveying users of the Hunter Stadium park-and-ride service as it assesses its long-term viability.
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The council sent email surveys to registered users on Monday asking how often and at what times they use the service and, perhaps most importantly, how much they are willing to pay for it.
In a colourfully worded question on prices, the survey asks whether respondents would be prepared to pay "the cost of a coffee each day ($4.50)", "the same as full day parking at the Number 2 sports ground ($6)" or "the same as full day parking in the HCCDC car park at Honeysuckle ($8.40)".
It also nominates several other price points, including "no change", the $7.32 return Opal bus fare into the CBD and the $14 cost of a taxi each way.
Transport for NSW stopped funding the 16-month-old park-and-ride service at the end of March. The council decided to fund it for another month while weighing up its future.
It now costs $2.20, which includes parking at the stadium and return travel to the CBD.
City of Newcastle chief executive officer Jeremy Bath said last month that TfNSW had backtracked on earlier commitments to continue the service, which he understood cost about $500,000 a year to run.
Park-and-ride users told the Herald last month they would be prepared to pay more if the service continued.
Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
