- State Government will fund enhanced bus services in Fremantle after the City withdrew funding
- Funding will be used to enhance the 532 service
- Additional funding will mean more frequent services than the current Fremantle CAT
- Enhanced bus service to replace Fremantle CAT from October 2023
The State Government has today announced it will reinvest funding previously allocated to the Fremantle Central Area Transit (CAT) towards enhanced public transport options in the Fremantle area.
The announcement follows a recent decision by the City of Fremantle to withdraw its funding contribution for the CAT Service.
The Government will be reinvesting funding previously allocated to the Fremantle CAT towards enhancing the 532 service, which runs between Fremantle Station and Douro Road in South Fremantle, along South Terrace.
The additional funding will see the 532 service now running every 15 minutes in both directions, which compares to the 20-minute frequency of the existing circular CAT service.
The 532 service follows the same route as the CAT service along South Terrace, providing a connection between Fremantle and South Fremantle.
The new higher frequency 532 service will be introduced from October 2023, with the Fremantle CAT service to stop running from 30 September 2023.
As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
“I understand the disappointment around the City of Fremantle’s decision to discontinue funding for the CAT, but the State Government will be reinvesting its contribution towards supporting enhanced bus services in the Fremantle area.
“The enhanced 532 route will see buses running every 15 minutes in both directions along South Terrace between Fremantle Station and Douro Road in South Fremantle.”
As stated by Fremantle MLA Simone McGurk:
“My focus has been to ensure that the State Government stepped in to continue to support transport options for our local community.
“I understand the CAT was much loved, however with this solution we have more frequent buses on the same route, which maintains an important connection between Fremantle and South Fremantle – a good outcome for residents and visitors alike”.
“I would like to acknowledge the hard work of community groups like the South Fremantle Precinct in ensuring that Fremantle has the public transport services it deserves.”
