Free Public Transport - It Is Working Around The World!

One thing we do not think about in Western Sydney is whether there is reason to have free pubic transport in our communities.  This can promote less usage of personal vehicles, enhance chances of reaching job interviews, jobs, visit families, friends, shopping complexes, hospitals, police stations and  also  providing more economical access to community groups that people need to visit.

Click here for the World's Free Successful Public Transport Details

Announcement of New Bus Contracts

This could be very important for people in Greater Western Sydney.

Transport for NSW has announced the successful tenders for the bus contracts in several regions including Region 1 (Penrith to Blacktown) and Region 3 (Liverpool, Fairfield, Holroyd).

Busways was successful for Region 1 and Transit Systems Australia was successful in Region 3. Busways www.busways.com.au is well known to people in Region 1 but the other existing service providers, Westbus and Hawkesbury Valley Buses, appear to have missed out on contracts in Region 1.

The new contract for Region 3 has gone to Transit Systems Australia. They seems to be a new business in Western Sydney http://www.transitsystems.com.au/overview . Previously Region 3 was operated by a consortium of MetroLink, Busabout, Hopkinsons and Westbus. It's unknown what will happen with those businesses. http://www.a3mc.com.au/

http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/new-bus-contracts-benefit-customers-and-taxpayers

Filling In 'The Gap' - SMH

The Sydney Morning Herald ran a story this week about the difficulties some people in Sydney face while trying to access the bus system.

People associated with WSPTU groups in Mt Druitt and Bankstown are in the story.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/for-many-public-transport-is-now-a-private-hell-20121110-294wx.html

The Sydney Alliance has created maps showing where services aren't available within 400 metres and with a frequency of 15 minutes. The Sydney Alliance have created a formula for quality services: 400:15:1 SCAA.  This means 400 metres to the nearest stop, every 15 minutes, available on 1 ticket, safe, clean, accessible and affordable.

Here is a story in the SMH about how people could be linked to high-frequency services through the use of local-level 'feeder' services and 'flexible' transport services. Prof Corrine Mulley from the Institute of Transport and Logistics at Sydney Uni is quoted. Professor Mulley has presented at the WSPTU Symposium.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/linking-services-vital-to-get-the-city-moving-20121111-296h0.html

Local Success - Return of Bus in North St Marys

Some local people in North St Marys have worked hard to convince planners and transport providers that they needed an additional service in North St Marys to ensure they were getting adequate access to their local buses. It is a big win for local people who were having trouble using the buses after the changes brought by the bus network review a couple of years ago.
"We've had a letter box drop telling us that we're going to get a bus back commencing 21 December along the same route as before.It'll be the 782E," says local campaigner Patricia Guy.
Click here for the full story.

Funny Thing That Commuters Leave On Buses!

Well here is a Story Wayne Lu has published which represent a true picture of what actually happened on a Westbus 780 on 8/10/11 on the way home. I witnessed it as I sat next to him. Great story Wayne!

http://mountdruittcommuters.blogspot.com/2011/10/westbus-furniture-removal.html

Minister Announces Change to Penrith Shuttle Bus Route

This is great news for Sue Day and the people in the South Penrith Residents Action Group who have been asking for a change to the Shuttle route to make it more useful for local people.
http://www.westernweekender.com.au/index.php/local-news-content/134-shuttle-bus-re-route

Excess Demand on the T80 Bus Transitway Service Into Parramatta

This comment from the WSPTU Facebook group:
Something has to be done about the number of buses running on the T80 during the morning peak. I feel sorry for all the commuters that have to either stand for the entire journey or watch one full bus after another travel past their stop!

NSW Budget 2011/12

The NSW Budget was delivered this week and was the first budget since the change of Government last March. Here are the transport highlights taken from the Budget papers:
Rail Services
$314 million to develop the 23-kilometre North West Rail Link
$292 million to continue the $2.1 billion South West Rail Link
$103 million to expand light rail in central Sydney and the inner west, integrating it with other forms of transport
$51 million to start building the Wynyard Walk
$159 million for the Country Regional Network
$198 million for the Rail Clearways Program
$106 million to improve infrastructure to meet the needs of new Waratah trains
$152 million to buy and upgrade rollingstock
$7.5 million for a new program to boost Easy Access upgrades and $22.5 million on programmed Easy Access station upgrades
$16.9 million as part of an increased commitment to spend $40 million over four years for Park and Travel Safety improvements
$102 million over four years to provide more express rail services
$2 million to conduct a study of North Coast rail services.
Bus Services
purchase 261 new buses, worth $118.8 million
$45 million for new bus depots
$7.6 million over four years to increase Nightride bus services
$9.2 million over four years to continue support for free bus services
$3 million for studies into a bus rapid transit system for the northern beaches.
Ferry Services
continuing the Fixing Sydney Ferries program, by franchising Sydney Ferries, restoring and expanding services, upgrading wharves and looking at fleet replacement an additional $7.5 million over four years to improve ferry wharves.
Transport Interchanges and Commuter Car Parks
$76 million on interchanges and car parks.
Ticketing, Concessions and Community Transport
$110 million to deliver a fast, convenient and integrated electronic ticketing system for greater Sydney
providing concession schemes for pensioners, tertiary students, people with disabilities and others using public transport, estimated at $438 million
subsidising travel under the School Student Transport Scheme, estimated at $550 million
an extra $12 million over four years to boost community transport services
$1.6 million over four years to deliver free seniors’ photo cards to eligible Seniors Card holders and older people receiving a disability support pension.
You can find a link to the budget overview here . And for the keen people a link to all the budget papers here.
WSPTU will provide some commentary over the next few weeks.

Last Chance to Register for the Transport Symposium Tomorrow

There are only 5 places left for the WSPTU Transport Symposium which is on tomorrow at the Dooley's Club in Lidcome, tomorrow, Saturday August 13 from 10.30 to 4pm.

Guest Speakers:
Professor Corinne Mulley - Institute of Transport and Logistics
David Borger - Former Minister for Roads and Lord Mayor of Parramatta
Stuart Palmer - Premier Cabs
Amy Williams - Sydney Alliance
Philippa Vale - South West Community Transport

The headline topics are:
Free Shuttle Buses - are they useful and how can people contribute to their evaluation?
Shared Taxis - can shared taxis be used as part of the public transport mix?

Plus the opportunity to meet local people who are interested to improve public transport in their local area. Register now, it's free!

WSPTU - public forum group on Facebook

The WSPTU has created a public forum group you can join and participate in. We're on Facebook here:
Western Sydney Public Transport Users Public Forum

If you've got anything to say, or want to join in with the discussion, please do! It will be great to hear about your public transport experiences. And don't forget to talk about the good things too!

Annoyed Commuter Re Job Seeker Concessions

Posted by an Anonymous WSPTU reader:
Dear Public Transport Folk,
This comment relates to an academic, who was in the paper yesterday, saying unemployed people should not be allowed to have access to free train fares during the peak time. Boy, what planet are these people on? She's probably never been unemployed in her life. The unemployed need access to free transport during peaK times SO THEY CAN GET TO JOB INTERVIEWS.Fares are too much for job seekers who get no concessions. Also they get taken off benefits if they miss too many appointments.

Concern About Removal Of The Epping Bus Transitway Exit

As part of the suggestion to increase the number of car lanes on the M2 it has been proposed that the Epping Bus Transitway Exit bridge be removed. This would severely undermine the attempts of local people to increase the number of bus services that can come from the North West and West into Epping and link with the new train service. WSPTU members have expressed concern about this and more information is needed.

Finish The Missing Links In the M2 Bus Transitways

It has been brought to the attention of WSPTU members by bus commuters, local people and bus operators, that the bus transitway on the M2 into the city is missing about 5klms of clearway. This means that the bus has to merge into the traffic created by the cars. This is particularly a problem during peak hour when the traffic is moving very slowly.
One suggestion proposed is that, in the places where there is no bus transitway, the breakdown lane be converted to a multipurpose lane which is used as a bus transitway during the peak hours. In the other times it could remain as a breakdown lane. This would improve the service of the bus transitway from the North West into the city.

New Timetables and Buses For Region 13

New buses and timetables were announced and will be starting on December 14. There appears to be some new services and some improvements to the services in Region 13.
To find out more from Veolia (the bus company), click here: Veolia

Save Our Buses - Mt Druitt and Surrounding Suburbs

Save Our Buses (Sobs) is a new group in Mt Druitt which is advocating to fix some of the problems that local people are experiencing as a result of changes to the bus routes which came in as part of the Bus Network Review on October 11.

They now have a website which is linked to the WSPTU site (check links on the left side of this site). http://sobsmtdruittasa.blogspot.com/ Check their site for new information and information about how to contact them.
You can email them here: sobs_mtdruittasa@hotmail.com

Whalan Protests Loss Of The 755

Around 60 people attended the Whalan Community Hall last Saturday to tell their local NSW parliamentary representatives, Richard Amery, Alan Sheeran and Ray Williams, that they were unhappy about some of the changes to the Region 1 buses in the Mt Druitt area. The meeting was organsied by a new local action group called SOBS (Save Our Bus Services).

Like other areas in Western Sydney, it seems to be older people and people with mobility problems that can be badly effected by some of the changes in the Bus Network Review. Several people with serious medical conditions and disabilties told their stories about how they had organised their lives around knowing that they could catch the bus only to find it had now been taken away.

While some areas also celebrated the fruits of 10 years of lobbying which seems to have paid off in the Region 1 changes (Willmot was finally connected to Emerton) people in Whalan who had previously had the 755 come into their street to take them to Mt Druitt and Blacktown were now finding it too difficult to get to the new services which only run down the main roads - Woodstock, Luxford, Belmore and Popondetta - and no longer go to Blacktown.

The local MPs committed to approaching the NSW Transport and Infrastructure department to discuss the issues and to try and find ways to get services to the people who had been disadvantaged by the changes. They were unconvinced that they could get the 755 restored. That, however, was what people wanted.

IPART Bus Fare Increase Recommendations

IPART have recommended a series of small increases to bus fares of 1.5% per year above the expected rate of inflation over the next three years - a total rise of 14.6% over 3 years.

They have used a very rigorous and transparent process to explain the increases which relates to the 'efficient costs' of running the buses and providing the infrastructure such as buslanes.

IPART also provide the logic of why they have allocated about half of the cost of running the bus system to be paid for by the passengers through ticket sales (excluding concessions) and half to be paid for by taxpayers through the Government; this half share paid by the Government equals the 'external benefits' derived by everybody, including non-bus users, from reduced traffic congestion and reduced air pollution when people use the bus instead of drive a car.

For the full IPART draft report click here: IPART Draft Bus Fare Determination

Critique

It appears that while short distance single tickets on buses will remain fairly good value, even with a rise from $1.90 to $2 in the first year and maybe up to $2.30 over 3 years, the people who travel greater distances of more than 5 sections, and don't have access to multi-trip tickets or flexible time-based tickets, will feel the increases much more. A single 3 - 5 section ticket is likely to increase from $3.20 to $4.50 and the 6 - 9 section tickets are likely to increase to more than $5.50. These are large increases and make regular return trips very expensive - particularly if you are trying to combine this with other train or bus trips.

Some of the main issues that have been pointed to by various transport advocates have been largely ignored. In particular IPART has disagreed that it is worth considering a shift to a zone/time-based integrated ticketing, which offers discounts for trip bundling.

It appears that we are going to be stuck with a flag-fall / distanced based ticketing system, even if we achieve an integrated ticket: ie the ticket will be integrated but many of the fares will not. This has the potential to be very bad for people in Western Sydney because of the greater reliance on the private bus system and the greater distances travelled. It is also not very 'family-friendly' because of the multiple transport needs of people trying to manage a family.

As an example, using the current fares, one return off-peak trip between St Clair and Castle Hill is likely to be $19.00. There is no potential for any integrated fares or multi-trip discounts (although you could get separate discounts for weekly bus tickets and train tickets if you are a regular commuter). A Cityrail day tripper ticket, however, which allows you unlimited, all-day travel on all STA buses, CityRail trains and Sydney Ferries is $17 (ie $2 less to travel from St Marys to Brookvale and return via the Manly Ferry and unlimited travel in the Sydney CBD).

This is an example of how an 'integrated fare' (the day tripper) compares to simply an 'integrated ticket' (several fares combined on a single ticket). The integrated fare provides additional discounts and the flexibility to travel multiple trips and stops whereas the integrated ticket simply makes it easier to pay the fare (even though they are expensive). It seems less likely that public transport will effectively compete with private cars, and the flexibility that they offer, without this kind of change. It is like having a toll on every road - it would be interesting to see how road users would react to that ....

Bus Users Survey Report Now Available

The Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator (ITSRR) has released the results of their survey of bus users in Sydney. In general, the results show very high levels of satisfaction, over 70%, for all the things that they asked about except one. On-time running was around 60% satisfaction because of more dissatisfaction with the Sydney Buses (mostly buses nearer to Sydney city) running not according to the timetable. Interestingly, the private bus operators, including all the Western Sydney operators, rated well; better than Sydney Buses for on-time running but worse for having timetables on bus stops.
You can see the report here: Bus Users Survey
You can go to the ITSRR website: www.transportregulator.nsw.gov.au

Integrated Ticketing

A WSPTU member has just returned from New York and brought home a MetroCard. The MetroCard is a simple, magnetic strip, paper ticket which works on the New York subway, the New York buses and even across the state border to New Jersey, on the PATH subway to Jersey City. Click here to see all the details of the MetroCard: http://www.mta.info/metrocard/

The ticket can be reloaded with new credit and there are discounts if you buy amounts in bulk, the discount increasing from the purchase of $7.50 in credit to the maximum of $45 in credit. The journeys can be subtracted from the ticket as they are used and there isn't a time limit or you can get a time limited 'unlimited trips' ticket. The ticket works on a 'pay per ride' basis (there is no distance charging) and each ride is $US2.25. Click here to see the pricing: http://www.mta.info/mta/09/

The turnstiles tell you how much credit and time is left on your ticket as you go through.

It would be good if we could have such a system in Sydney.

WSPTU Umbrella Meets For The First Time

People representing public transport users in Penrith, the Hills, Oatlands, Bankstown, Chester Hill, Liverpool and the Blue Mountains met for the first time last week to discuss the creation of the WSPTU umbrella group.

This meeting was to follow-up from the Transport Symposium where people clearly said that they wanted an 'umbrella group' to support the work of people working in local groups. We wrestled with how this could work and decided to develop the idea further. We want something that can give Western Sydney public transport users a more powerful voice.

The idea of the Umbrella is to be able to identify issues which are common to many Western Sydney public transport users and to try and gather support to advocate for solutions to these issues. The issue which is most strongly represented to us is that of 'local transport'.

Older people, and people living with mobility difficulties, who have been badly effected by the Bus Network Review are looking for people to support them to get transport services in their local area that better suit their needs. People repeatedly, and with great passion, say that they want their independence and don't want to be confined to their house.

Of course other issues, such as a better mass transit system into the Hills and the need for an integrated ticketing system are also issues likely to be important to the WSPTU. We also did a brainstorm about why Community Transport isn't working as an effective local transport system for older people. Most of the WSPTU participants (many in their 80s) are too young and healthy to qualify for community transport!!

We also decided to pick up on some local issues in between meetings to see if we could progress them.

Watch this space!