Visitor shuttle buses cruise on by city shops

Small businesses in the Geraldton central business district have complained of a decline in revenue from cruise tourists because the hop-on, hop-off buses that bring cruise passengers into Geraldton no longer use a central stop in the CBD. Rick Dunn, pictured, who owns a second-hand bookshop on Cathedral Avenue, said this change had an impact on his business as cruise ships were a big part of his revenue. “I’ve spoken to half a dozen other businesses in the area who have all said the same thing,” he said. “I make about $150 a day normally, and on a cruise ship day that used to rise to around $600-$700.” “It’s revenue I need, and others around here are going through the same.” Previously, buses stopped on Cathedral Avenue in the centre of town at the Ocean Centre Hotel, which offers complementary tea and coffee to cruise ship guests. Mr Dunn said he hadn’t seen a bus use the stop there this year. Hotel owner Robert Ramage said he was not sure when the buses last dropped passengers at the front of his business, but he would continue to offer welcome beverages. “I think it’s terribly important for Geraldton that they are dropped at a central point,” he said. A spokesperson for Path Transit, which took over the bus contract for Geraldton at the start of the year, said cruise lines booked the buses to take passengers from the ship to the welcome area because it was an easy entry point to town. City of Greater Geraldton acting chief executive Paul Radalj said the welcome area had been moved to a park behind the Mid West Ports Authority building after the City acquired shore tension lines allowing ships to use the port. “The City does not book the buses, the booking is done by the cruise lines,” he said. “The drop-off points are focused on attractions so the usual drop-offs are the Museum of Geraldton and the HMAS Sydney II Memorial.” But Mr Dunn, whose business has been affected, believes the City should encourage cruise passengers to spend more time in the CBD. “It’s just common sense, there’s no use getting the ships here if they're not stopping to shop,” he said.