Peter didn't reckon on non-stop trip
WHEN Peter Jacobs hopped on the route 602 bus from Caloundra to the Sunshine Coast Private Hospital, he expected to be dropped at the main entrance as outlined on the timetable.
But construction of the new bus stop meant buses were not able to drive into the hospital, so Mr Jacobs was dropped at the next stop, 1.1km away.
A TransLink spokeswoman said a notice was placed at the stop notifying passengers of the changes due to construction. She apologised to Mr Jacobs.
As Mr Jacobs was scheduled for an elbow operation and could not drive home due to the anaesthetic, he contacted TransLink to inquire about a bus fare.
Mr Jacobs caught the route 602, 7.10am bus, due at the Sunshine Coast Private Hospital at 8am, the time of his appointment.
"I got to the bus station at 7.05am and said to the bus driver, 'One ticket to the hospital'," he said.
"I know the area quite well and we went through Mountain Creek and he got on to Buderim Mooloolaba Rd, went straight past the entrance to the hospital.
"I said, 'You've missed the turnoff'. He said, 'We don't go in there'."
Mr Jacobs questioned the driver and referenced the route 602 map, which clearly shows the route into the hospital.
To which he was met with a response, "We can't turn around in there, so we don't go in".
Mr Jacobs was dropped off at the bus stop on Buderim Mooloolaba Rd, 1.1km away from the hospital.
"I walked halfway and there was a taxi that came out of the hospital, he took me back. Lucky that happened, otherwise I'd still be walking," he said.
"I'm not the only person who wants to go to the hospital.
"It's not the first time that I have caught public transport."
Mr Jacobs was late for his procedure; three patients were seen before him. He didn't catch the bus home.
"I was peed off with the whole thing and got a cab, which cost me $55," he said.
"If only someone had told me the bus didn't go in there. Had I have known, I would have driven there."
A TransLink spokeswoman said from Monday route 602 (Maroochydore to Caloundra via Kawana) resumed servicing the Sunshine Coast Private Hospital bus stop at the main entrance to the hospital.
