State bus service Metro Tasmania recorded a loss of nearly a million for the year driven by low passenger numbers and COVID-19.
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According to its 2020-21 Annual Report, the public service provider recorded a loss of $0.8m before tax and $0.56m after tax.
The report found COVID-19 was having a continued impact on passenger levels, with ticket revenue remaining at 2019-20 levels.
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For the year ending June 30, passenger revenue of $10.68 million accounted for only 17.7 per cent of the service provider's total income, with wages, fuel, and fleet maintenance the major expenditure for the business.
According to the annual report, low passenger income was driven by a lull in full-fare paying adults who had been slow to return to public transport since pre-COVID levels, however, Metro did record an increase in returning student fairs over previous years.
The report also outlined the key initiatives for the service provider which included an Accelerated Bus Replacement Program.
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According to the report, the bus replacement program saw 100 locally manufactured, low-emission, disability-accessible buses delivered by April 2021, which created 20 advanced manufacturing jobs in the North-West.
Metro chairman Tim Gardner wrote in the report the low-emitting diesel engines produced 94 per cent less nitrogen oxide and 96 per cent less particulate matter emissions than the buses they were replacing.
"We estimate the program will reduce our carbon footprint by at least 20,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas equivalents over 20 years," he wrote.
"The new buses are more fuel-efficient and require less maintenance than the buses they replaced.
"They are also more reliable which means fewer breakdowns, leading to less disruptions to passenger journeys."
The state bus service also announced the development of a Zero Emissions Bus Roadmap in a further move toward reducing their carbon emissions.
"We understand the importance of transitioning to alternatively fueled buses to support the Tasmanian government target of net zero emissions by 2050," Metro chief executive Katie Cooper wrote.
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