Free school bus for ferry-going Mannum students

Thursday, 2 March 2023

A free school bus shuttle service will assist students affected by ongoing road closures as the Riverland recovery effort continues.

The service will allow students on the Cowirra side of the River Murray complete their journeys to and from Mannum Community College once they disembark from the ferry each school day, until road access to their homes is restored.

The Department for Infrastructure and Transport is running a free passenger-only ferry service between Mannum Bowling Club and Edwin Street, Cowirra, to provide Cowirra residents access to and from Mannum until access via Hunter Road is restored.

Hunter Road remains closed after sustaining significant damage from the River Murray flood, with multiple sections washed away to considerable depth.

Following feedback from the ferry service operator regarding students using the service, a free bus service has been organised for Mannum Community College students who have been using the ferry to get to and from school every weekday.

The bus service will help them complete the 1.5 kilometre journey from the Mannum Bowling Club to Mannum Community College.

The bus service will depart the Mannum Bowling Club at 8:30am every morning and Mannum Community College at 3:20pm every afternoon (except Wednesdays, when it will depart at 2:30pm due to early school dismissal).

Ferry departure times have been slightly amended to accommodate the bus timetable.

The passenger-only ferry runs every hour and can seat 20 people on each service, with the crossing taking approximately 15 minutes.

Repair works for Hunter Road and Burdett Road commenced on Tuesday, 21 February, with the works expected to take between 4-6 weeks to complete, weather permitting.