The value of Translink

[#Metro]

The value of Translink.

There has been a lot of discussion about who should do what and the organisation of public transport services. To me there wasn't a clear answer, and comments about this issue seem to keep popping up all the time. Hence the dedicated thread now.

[#Metro]

A senate enquiry reccomended that Melbourne get a one stop bureaucrat shop to fix things.

In evidence to this inquiry, the key element of good governance was said to be a single public transport authority with power and responsibility to plan and deliver the city's public transport service in an integrated way under a single brand (whether or not the service provision is contracted out).''
It continued: ''Perth has such an authority (Transperth). Brisbane has recently established one. Sydney and Melbourne do not...

http://www.aph.gov.au/SENATE/committee/rrat_ctte/public_transport/report/c04.htm

On the other hand, simply establishing the one stop shop does not always guarantee a magic fix (ouch!):

Translink consult with commuters, you have to be kidding, the resident 5 year old feral could shoot holes in what their experts will propose, the lack the ability to co-ordinate rail services with other rail services and when it comes to rail/bus connections one doubts they have ever read the rail timetables before setting out those for conecting bus services and if they condesended to consult with the commuters who use these services? they might be forced to publicly admit the levels of their incompetence.

http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3477.0

nor does it mean that the lines will become any sharper over who is responsible for what:

Regardless of it being one entity of QR or Translink to blame, responsibility would fall to the Minister.

alternatively

The minister is a political figurehead with little real say in the operations of the system.
Much of what Nolan says and does is actually orchestrated by public servants working behind the scenes.

And then you have interesting situations where the Government fines itself as one division reliant on another encounters problems... i.e. Queensland Rail...

[#Metro]

For those who take issue with CEO salaries and performance...The Weller Review noted:
http://www.premiers.qld.gov.au/government/boards-committees.aspx#govt-boards

This entity combines a range of functions previously delivered across government.
Its objectives contend that the organisational capability advantages and public
interest risks in efficiency and effectiveness provide compelling reasons to create this
additional government body as (appropriately) a statutory body with an independent
governing board. Continuation of this body should now depend on proof of those
original objectives in making the Public Interest Case but in its first year still of a
major service delivery reform, it is too early to assess fairly.

Governance and performance accountability frameworks will be key in supporting
those objectives and for the responsible Minister in accounting for the public interest.
As the Part A Report contended, '...electors have proved a steady disregard for
organisational form to afford any shield for the minister's responsibilities'.

While it is early days for the new Authority a timely, post-start-up, operational review
would be appropriate within the year given the nature and extent of the impact of
reform across government entities.

[#Metro]

The question in my mind is two fold:

1. Is Perth really that good?
2. If Perth is really that good, why has Queensland been so unable to replicate its apparent success?

Explanations like "Perth has a pro-rail government" don't have enough detail I'm afraid... (more detail would help though)

1. Subsidy levels  % wise are almost identical. So it isn't funding
2. Population density is lower than Brisbane. So it can't be density
3. Also publicly administered in one-stop-bureaucrat shop (TransPerth) like Brisbane
4. Also has integrated ticketing... so it can't be integrated ticketing

Unless we have a distorted view that Translink is really much better than we make it out to be?

[#Metro]

And the fares went up 6 months ago to almost identical levels to Brisbane's current levels...

Regular public transport users would also be well aware that using SmartRider cards provides discounts of either 15 per cent or 25 per cent depending on how they are reloaded, further reducing the impact of any fare increase.  More than 63 per cent of travel is by SmartRider.

The most common fare, for two zones, goes up 10 cents (2.86 per cent) to $3.60 cash, or seven cents (2.66 per cent) to $2.70 with the maximum SmartRider discount.

http://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/WACabinetMinistersSearch.aspx?ItemId=132051&minister=O%27Brien&admin=Barnett

Except their concessions are only 40%, less than our 50% discount... though Seniors travel free at times

The concession rate is currently about 40 per cent of the standard fare, though seniors as well as aged and disability support pensioners travel free all weekend and between 9am and 3.30pm on weekdays, and primary and secondary school students pay a flat 50 cents.

[ButFli]

Grass is always greener...

[mufreight]

What value, the only positive that Translink has delivered to commuters has been intergrated ticketing and now with the draconian GO card edict the positives of that system are being degraded.

[#Metro]

It is a puzzle!
Was it the reorganisation of everything into a one stop bureaucrat shop the key thing, or was it the introduction of a single ticket, standard pricing and more services (which could have been done by the transport dept?) that did the trick?

I'm trying to find out what makes Perth so good (if indeed it actually is?).
Everything else appears to be almost identical or favours Brisbane... so why do we have problems on such simple things- frequency, integration, funding, planning for new developments, putting in a ticket machine, combining two bus services into one, making sure the PIDs are correct after a service change etc...

If anything, all this tinkering with the organisations etc- separate, combined, integrated, at-arms-length how much effect does all this actually have? Does it actually do something that couldn't be already done the old way?

How do I know this isn't just a fad which really has little effect?

[Derwan]

(which could have been done by the transport dept?)

TransLink was part of Queensland Transport until July 2008, when it became an Authority.  It had already achieved integrated ticketing and had rolled out (albeit botched) the Go Card.  Plans were already in progress to deliver cross river rail.

What's happened since it became an authority?  The most significant thing is that fares have increased.

What has the "Authority" done to improve public transport?  Nothing.

[Jon Bryant]

Any organisation limited by available funding is going to appear ineffective.  They could improve the cordination of the delivery of new services though.

[somebody]

Any organisation limited by available funding is going to appear ineffective.  They could improve the cordination of the delivery of new services though.

You aren't seriously blaming funding for Translink's (apparrent) ineffectiveness are you?

[Jon Bryant]

It is a contributor to the lack of new services but not for the clumbsy approach to every thing.  All I was saying is that a new organisation is not a panacea to a lack of funding.

[#Metro]

Though I question whether it could be funding. I have ruled this possible explanation out because:

Perth ticket prices are almost identical to that for Brisbane.
Their level of subsidy % is also almost identical.
They also have smartcard (and it actually works!)
Their administration form is also almost identical - dedicated authority- the Public Transport Authority.

[#Metro]

I think the idea for a dedicated Authority is to

1. Get all the experts in one place
2. Get all the funding in one place
3. Get all the decisions in one place
4. Focus on a very narrow set of responsibilities/functions so that there are no distractions and it is difficult to go off track.

But things can go wrong even with such "single desk" operations as we have seen with Myki in Melbourne (hiccups)
and GoCard (disaster, 4 years late, "still planning what to do for the tourists", etc) in Brisbane.

NSW ticketing fiasco a winner for lawyers
February 24, 2010

Ten years on, the failed Tcard project is finally heading to court, writes Elisabeth Sexton.

Sydney has a new blueprint for public transport. It does not have a new ticketing system for it. On Friday, when the NSW government was applying the finishing touches to its Metropolitan Transport Plan, Justice Robert McDougall noted in the NSW Supreme Court that its attempts to introduce an integrated ticketing system have been ''so far unsuccessful''.

Unlike many cities around the world, Sydney has no single, cashless card for trains, buses and ferries, with cheaper trips for those who switch from one mode to another, shorter queues at ticket offices and greater efficiencies for transport operators.

Justice McDougall was not occupied with the shortlist announced last year for a fare smartcard, but with a legal battle spawned by the failure of the previous attempt, the award of a tender to ERG Ltd in 2001 and its termination seven years later.

The Public Ticketing Transport Corporation sued ERG for damages of $90 million for failing to fulfil its contract obligations, while ERG counter-sued the statutory authority seeking $215 million for wrongful termination of the contract.

How does a single desk authority with a very narrow set of responsibilities and proper funding make such a mess?

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/nsw-ticketing-fiasco-a-winner-for-lawyers-20100223-p0ou.html

Perhaps the forum member "Somebody" is right. Perhaps the Authority is simply a reflection of the competence of the government above it which supervises or funds it. And maybe Perth has good public transport not because of the single desk authority, but despite having a single desk authority...

[somebody]

Regarding the NSW mess, part of the problem was IPART's incompetent insistence on having a non-integrated ticketting system with their smart cards!!! Or at least that was one of ERG's claims.  How the politicians didn't realise they should overrule this, I do not know.

Perhaps the forum member "Somebody" is right. Perhaps the Authority is simply a reflection of the competence of the government above it which supervises or funds it.

Not completely sure if I did say that.  But at the end of the day, responsibility rests with the minister and the government.

[#Metro]

Sorry, I should have put something in between the two sentences... I was referring to your comment about WA having a "pro-rail" government...

[ozbob]

There is no doubt the major success of Translink v1. was integrated ticketing, essential pre-requisite for smart card implementation.  Coordination between services and operators has improved, but agreed still much to be done.   The TTA is improving communication and becoming more responsive.  We have had a number of opportunities for direct communication with TTA and this is most welcome.   The TTA is a statutory authority, and as such determines it's own agenda to a certain extent, but the Minister is authorised under the TTA legislation to direct the TTA to carry out the Government's wishes.

It is a complex task managing the various operators, coping with the political priorities and the transport culture.  I do see signs of real improvement eg.  more responsive bus changes. There is a definite move to address some of the go card issues.   The next sign perhaps some well placed rail services?  

Nothing is going to change overnight.  

[somebody]

Can't say I share your optimism, ozbob.

I'm very annoyed with Translink, they seem to be unable AND unwilling to do things that Sydney Buses do without even being asked.  In particular:
(a) Multitude of city stop locations for buses on the same corridor
(b) Lack of co-ordination between timetables, i.e. >10 minute gaps followed by 3 different buses timetabled to arrive at once
(c) An unnacceptable attitude to complaints
(d) Lack of consultation
(e) Lack of communication
EDIT: (f) Unbelievable Grey St-Milton Rd-Cribb St routing for outbound 4xx expresses

[Golliwog]

Tramtrain, perhaps the difference between Translink and Transperth could simply be due to the difference in the size of their catchment areas and the number of different operators they have to deal with? I don't know how Transperth works, but as I understand it, I believe all the buses trains and ferries are all owned by the government so theres no hassles with having to work through seperate operators. Plus, Transperth is only delivering transport for Perth, whereas Translink is trying for the whole of SEQ which has a more complex network.

Plus, while Transperth only recently became a transit authority, the group itself has been around for a heck of a lot longer than Translink, so I think some of the perceived issues with Translink are just teething issues.

[#Metro]

Not sure about this.
TransPerth has direct control of the rail system.
Here we have TL contract QR, whereas over there TransPerth runs it, there is no "middle man".

As for buses and ferries, these are all contracted out IIRC.
http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/AboutUs/AboutTransperth/tabid/276/Default.aspx

Buses: Swan Transit, Path Transit and Southern Coast Transit
Ferries: Captain Cook Cruises

Maybe Perth is simply smaller and more manageable?
Maybe TL should acquire QR Passenger?

[#Metro]

Not to mention public education campaigns.

[Golliwog]

That ad gives me a yearning to go watch the Transformers movie again...

No, I disagree on the idea of Translink acquiring QR Passenger. By all accounts, QR knows what its doing, its been doing it for a long time. If anything, as rail is the backbone of SEQ's public transport network, Translink should become part of QR passenger. IMO, Translink is still feeling its way out as to what it can and can't do. And it's recently been showing it can do a lot of things. For starters, 2 large bus upgrades happening a few months apart is a great start. Plus they help organise a lot of the extra services for sporting events and concerts. Isn't it something like 90% of people going to events at The Gabba or Suncorp use public transport?

[Golliwog]

And yes, I agree, part of the problem with Tranlink is the size of their coverage area. Alone, Perth and Brisbane are similar in size, but when you add in the rest of SEQ that Translink has to provide for, it makes things more difficult. A lot of our travel is still Brisbane centric, but they also have to provide for commuters to and from other city centres, whilst also trying to find bus operators to do it. Which leads to something I see as a bit of a problem, which is the number of different bus operators that Translink has to negotiate with and coordinate services between. I don't think having them all directly at Translinks control is best, but when they are working with BT (and when BT isn't trying to score Campbell political points) they seem to go brilliantly, as the recent upgrades support.

[somebody]

For starters, 2 large bus upgrades happening a few months apart is a great start.

Are you refering to the Feb 22 & CityGlider or May 10 changes?  Those aren't that major, and combined fall short of what was promised.

[#Metro]

No, I disagree on the idea of Translink acquiring QR Passenger. By all accounts, QR knows what its doing, its been doing it for a long time. If anything, as rail is the backbone of SEQ's public transport network, Translink should become part of QR passenger. IMO, Translink is still feeling its way out as to what it can and can't do.

Sure but that does not mean they can't be acquired by TL. Perth has it done in-house, I'm sure we can do it too.
It will also put end to the "TL has passed your concerns to our service delivery partners"...
It might also finally mean full integration with buses.

It's an interesting idea worth discussing.

[mufreight]

Tramtrain, you have to be kidding, apart from intergrated ticketing and building a hydra like bureaucracy name one thing that Translink has achieved.
Promises, spin and an its someone elses fault, where are the changes to the Ipswich bus services that were promised for November 2007 and now we are being told that nothing will now happen untill a further review and that is only one examble of the levels of duplicity and incompetence of this organisation.
Disband Translink and put the money wasted on this non performing circus into service provision with a Queensland Transport office acting as a service co-ordinator, one less level of beaucratic paralysis and people who know what they are doing to provide the required services for commuters both rail and road.

[#Metro]

Just putting the idea out there for discussion 
By all means, I don't expect people to have one view over another.

[Arnz]

Disband Translink and put the money wasted on this non performing circus into service provision with a Queensland Transport office acting as a service co-ordinator, one less level of beaucratic paralysis and people who know what they are doing to provide the required services for commuters both rail and road.

Yes, let's go back to the old days when there was "no" intergration and the fares are higher than it is now.  That's taking 200 steps back. 

It's no wonder narrow-minded thinking to problems like this sees other states laughing at us.  No wonder they call us Queensland the "Backward state".

Welcome to Queensland, set your clocks back 20 years.

[Golliwog]

For starters, 2 large bus upgrades happening a few months apart is a great start.

Are you refering to the Feb 22 & CityGlider or May 10 changes?  Those aren't that major, and combined fall short of what was promised.

I was refering to both. Considering ususally they only do one upgrade like that per year, I see it as a welcome improvement. And I know they haven't reached the promised target yet, but would you prefer they gave us no bus improvements what so ever until they had enough buss and drivers to provide all the services they need to meet their promise? I don't really think their going to meet the promised target, but I still think there are more upgrades to come.

As I understand it, Translink comes up with its own plans and then sends these out to the operators to get their feedback, or vice versa (eg: QR comes up with timetables, gets approval/modification from TL) but within Translink itself, are there any representatives of their service operators on hand there to directly liase with them? I think that should definatly be looked at, as what currently goes on where each side comes up with their plans without discussion until said plans are all but finished, seems a bit backwards and wastes time.

[somebody]

As I understand it, Translink comes up with its own plans and then sends these out to the operators to get their feedback, or vice versa (eg: QR comes up with timetables, gets approval/modification from TL) but within Translink itself, are there any representatives of their service operators on hand there to directly liase with them? I think that should definatly be looked at, as what currently goes on where each side comes up with their plans without discussion until said plans are all but finished, seems a bit backwards and wastes time.

Yes.  There needs to be a single agency with the power to put their plans into practice.  For trains, that would be QR.

[Golliwog]

Yes, I agree there, but then theres still the issue of coordination between trains and buses, which still isn't that great but is definatly better than in was pre-Translink.

[mufreight]

Actualy in respect to co-ordination of services between transport modes particularly between rail and private bus the operators had no choice but to ensure that there was a high level of co-ordination if they wanted to stay in business.
Under Translink more interested in costs than service there exist numerous cases of buses departing two or three minutes before the arrival of the train with waits often in excess of an hour befor the next bus and in the reverse buses timetabled to arrive at rail two or three minutes after the departure of a train with considerable waits for commuters who wish to continue their journey.
Bus timetables that are set by Translink that Translink has been aware for more than two years are unworkable with the result that although the current Translink published timetables show and the Translink call centre advises as connecting with rail with a time overlap in excess of ten minutes miss that connection by over ten minutes with a 20 minute wait for a train to continue a journey.
Hospital bus services from Corinda thar depart two minutes before the arrival of trains from Ipswich with a wait of almost an hour for the next bus, a situation that has existed for over three years but has not been corrected.
From the efforts of Translink in co-ordinating services and the ongoing failure to correct the sadly flawed co-ordination of services it is quite easy to draw the conclusion that it is the intent of Translink to make co-ordinated connecting services as inconvenient for commuters as possible to deter commuters from using public transport so that Translink does not have to fund the required services, either that or the entire staff of Translink starting from the CEO down are incompetent.

[somebody]

I would say: Never ascribe to malice what can adequately be explained by incompetence.

buses need to be subordinate to the trains for connection purposes.  There is no other workable practice.