9 Aug 2012: SEQ: Northwest Bus Petition - Bad service equals bad patronage ...

[ozbob]

Media release 9 August 2012

SEQ: Northwest Bus Petition - Bad service equals bad patronage - you don't say!

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport passengers has called for high-frequency buses for Bulimba, Centenary Suburbs and the Northwest.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"RAIL Back On Track refers to a petition for more bus services to Albany Creek and Eaton's Hill (1,2). In the two weeks that the petition was live it gained 342 signatures. We think it is time decent services that are actually useful were put on, and we call for the BUZification of the 359 bus to Eatonvale to be included in the roll-out of a large 'Core Frequent Network' and wider Brisbane bus review. Old Northern Road and South Pine Road are fast arterial roads suitable for high capacity, frequent BUZ service and the whole area is a major gap in the BUZ network."

We quote from the formal response:

"The TransLink's challenge is to fill the gaps in the network while ensuring that services are well patronised, reliable and represent value for money."

"While we understand that money is tight, does this criteria apply with respect to Brisbane City Council's pet project / fiesta of waste Maroon CityGlider bus which duplicates everything and adds nothing new to the wider network?"

"Clearly not!"

"The letter goes on to assert that their analysis 'indicates that the services are currently not operating at capacity or at benchmark levels to trigger consideration for additional services.'  Given that the frequency of the 359 is hourly, does it not seem extremely unreasonable to require a full bus load of people (68 people) to wait at a bus stop for a bus that only appears once an hour before triggering an upgrade? Could it be that the poor patronage is actually due to worst class frequency, and not 'demand'? Brisbane Transport's own data shows that patronage increases of 100% can be achieved when frequency is improved (3).

"The residents of the northwestern suburbs are not alone in their dissatisfaction and want for proper, useful services - the residents of the Centenary Suburbs in Brisbane's west and the long-suffering residents of Bulimba are also in public transport service 'no-go' zones."

"We sympathise with the residents of the Northwestern Suburbs, who have been let down yet again!"

"As RAIL Back On Track has always said, services must be frequent, bottom line. We again call on the Minister for Transport to cut all funding for the Maroon CityGlider and re-direct that funding to decent services in areas such as Bulimba, Centenary and the northwest suburbs."

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

References:

1. Eaton's Hill E-Petition response http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=8910.0

2. Bus services in Albany Creek and Eatons Hill http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-assembly/petitions/closed-e-petitions

3. BUZ Routes, Frequency and Reliability - the winning formula http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/6058

Note:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohring_effect

"The Mohring effect is the observation that, if the frequency of a transit service (e.g., buses per hour) increases with demand, then a rise in demand shortens the waiting times of passengers at stops and stations. Because waiting time forms part of the costs of transportation, the Mohring effect implies increasing returns to scale for scheduled urban transport services."

[ozbob]

Discussion --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=8910.0