Mount Gambier man Paul Manfrin has only five per cent vision and relies heavily on bus services he says are inadequate.
Bus SA has appealed to the government for $1.5 million per annum to improve regional transport services after a report from the University of Sydney found South Australian bus services are some of the most poorly serviced in Australia.
The current regional spend on bus service per capita is only $40 compared with $439 per head in New South Wales and $133 in Western Australia.
Statewide, South Australia spends $273 per head on metro bus services far more than the $40 for regional areas.
Bus SA has called on the South Australian Government to provide the funding to improved three key regional areas, including Mount Gambier, as part of their election commitments.
Mr Manfrin, who exclusively catches buses, had to renegotiate his work hours due to a lack of services during the week.
Weekends are an even harder struggle, as there are no buses at all.
"Because I don't drive, I rely heavily on public transport and so I've got to use it to commute to work or for any social activities that I've got to do," Mr Manfrin said.
"It is quite awkward because there's no buses on weekends and then for work, I've had to reschedule my hours because there's no buses earlier than 9am, and the latest bus is 5pm.
"When I finish right on at five o'clock, I've got 5 to 10 minutes to get to a bus stop which sometimes can be a little bit tricky, especially in bad weather."
Mr Manfrin said due to poorly planned bus routes, he had often been forced walked to up to 15 minutes between stops.
"A simple half hour appointment can turn out to be two and a half, three hours sort of trip, it's not convenient sometimes."
Mr Manfrin said the bus system had not changed with the times.
"Since the bus routes have been created, Mount Gambier has expanded, different businesses have moved out or move to different places, and it doesn't cater for those services," he said.
He has a number of suggestions for improving the bus system in Mount Gambier.
"We've got the marketplace out on Penola road and we've got one at the Mount Gambier Central shopping area, but it's a little bit inconvenient to get from one place to another, especially on weekends," he said.
"We could have a bus that can transport people from one shopping area to another more frequently on weekends, especially to cater for tourists".
He said a bus service to and from the airport would help solve the issues around a lack of taxi availability in the city.
Bus SA spokesperson Jared Kent said the funding would have a significant positive impact on the regions.
"We need the South Australian government to increase its investment in these areas to allow us to increase services to run two ways, seven days a week with reasonable frequency between 9am and 5pm Mondays to Fridays and 8am to 4pm on weekends and public holidays," Mr Kent said.
“We believe that the amount that we’re seeking is realistic and the returns on that modest investment could be genuinely life changing for many of our regional communities.
"Our growing regional communities simply deserve better,” he said.
