Government should offer more incentives if it is serious about reducing traffic congestion and increasing public transportation use, a senator claimed yesterday.

Opposition Senate Leader Max Burgess criticised the Government's approach to public transport as the Upper House debated the budget for the Transport Ministry.

Government is sending a mixed message by saying it wants to reduce traffic congestion but then reducing scheduled bus service, he argued.

"How can traffic problems be decreased if there is a reduction in the one service that people really liked,'' said Sen. Burgess.

"How many people would we get off the roads if we were to keep service where it was?'' And he suggested the bus service could be improved without spending more cash by offering two different bus sizes.

"Not so big buses could be used to service the routes with less people, which would mean that less capital could be spent,'' he said. "Let's dovetail it out so we end up with a programme on land that encourages people to stay away from the streets by way of their motorcars.'' Government might consider offering a tax rebate "for people who may choose not to use their car as much as someone else might,'' he said.

He suggested this might be achieved by using special licences or stickers for cars on the road less than a certain amount of hours over a given period of time.

"I urge Government to reach outside the comfort zone of the norm to explore developing a basket of incentives to encourage people to spend less time in their cars on our roads,'' he said.

He suggested Government re-examine the issue of having third parties drive automobiles to encourage people to share cars rather than have their own.

"Maybe if there were one or two cars per four apartments rather than four, Government might offer an incentive by way of a reduction on land tax,'' he said.

As it stands, Mr. Burgess argued, the community has not yet bought in to the idea "that all of us must share in the community's resolve to get traffic under control''.

Mr. Burgess also questioned what had happened to sightseeing buses.

"I see the revenue from sightseeing has been wiped out,'' he said. "But schoolchildren, seniors and our visitors would have all benefited from being part of the sightseeing experience.'' Sightseeing is no longer being offered by the bus service probably to allow more business for the taxis, Mr. Burgess said, and that is just another failing of the Tourism Ministry "which can't get enough people here.''