Changes to bus contracts mean that Kangaroo Island residents will now have to deal with three separate providers - they will need to book the bus between the ferry and their local stop on the island, then book the ferry service, and then purchase a ticket for the bus between Adelaide and Cape Jervis, with no guarantee of a seat being available on this service.

The latest information from the SeaLink website is that SeaLink will still be providing the morning coach service from Adelaide, and the evening service from Cape Jervis to Adelaide. The timetable on the LinkSA websites shows that LinkSA will be providing the afternoon service from Adelaide and the morning service from Cape Jervis. Peninsula Coaches will run the island shuttle to meet the ferries as usual. So - in theory - the level of service should not be affected.

Previously, Sealink provided all three services twice a day in both directions, and a single booking could be made online or by phone.

Kangaroo Island residents were not consulted about this change.

The change will also affect visitors to the island, including family and friends, as well as tourists, which will have implications for the tourist industry.

This change is due to come into effect on 1 October and has caused much confusion and anxiety in the community, including about how it will affect residents needing to travel to the mainland for specialist appointments. It is unclear how the new ticketing arrangements will affect their ability to make travel claims under PATS.

Previous advice that travellers will be charged for luggage on the island shuttle at a rate of $15 a bag is incorrect. This will only apply to excess luggage (where there are more than two large suitcases).

Locals are also concerned about how changes and interruptions to the ferry service will be coordinated with the bus links. Ferries are periodically cancelled because of rough seas, and – if it has not been possible to give travellers advance warning – Sealink has previously arranged for passengers to be transported back to their place of origin. Will the new providers come to the same arrangements, or will passengers be left stranded at the ferry terminal?

Timetables are routinely changed through maintenance periods once or twice a year (the next one being 16-30 October). Will the linking bus timetables also change to match?

These changes discriminate against those already disadvantaged because they lack the option of taking a car on the ferry, need to make frequent trips for health reasons, or struggle with phone and online booking arrangements.

The petitioners ask the Malinauskas government for reinstatement of the previous level of service, including twice-daily coordinated bus and ferry options, and the ability to book all three legs of the journey in a single booking.