BCC bus timetable changes

[ozbob]

Thanks interesting James.  Must be from when TransLink first set up! 

It may have been the same in the earlier life as well.

[HappyTrainGuy]

I have now downloaded all the PDF timetables for SEQ TransLink services. The winners are the 112, 113 and 114 -- whose timetable is dated as being effective from 23 October 2006!

There are actually services out there which are worse than that - many have had their timetable re-written. The 414/415 have not been changed in over 12 years.

2003. Only minor changes. Spot them. Check out the 335. Only a few minutes difference

[HappyTrainGuy]

Oh and for those playing at home.

http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/37425/20030829-0000/www.transinfo.qld.gov.au/BTMaps.html

Such a shame that the 367 has had a service cut.
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/37425/20030829-0000/www.transinfo.qld.gov.au/qt/PubTrans.nsf/ReferenceLookup/367-UpperKedronFernyGrove.pdf/$file/367-UpperKedronFernyGrove.pdf
http://translink.com.au/sites/default/files/assets/timetables/140120-367.pdf

Enjoy.

[James]

Thanks interesting James.  Must be from when TransLink first set up! 

It may have been the same in the earlier life as well.

It goes back further. The 411's timetable in June 2000 is very similar to the 411 timetable used today. 411 has lost 2 AM peak services, but aside from minor shifts (~5 minutes either side), the timetable used in 2000 is the same as the timetable used in 2016.

My sneaking suspicion is the 2000 timetable goes back to 1998 at least, possibly even further.

[STB]

The 234 that replaced the southern version of the 475 caused the frequency to drop along Main St and Kangaroo Point from half hourly to hourly!

[ozbob]

Not sure what this is all about ...

Brisbane City Council has been running public transport services for more than 90 yrs. A new @TransLinkSEQ contract could put this at risk.

— Cr Adrian Schrinner (@Schrinner) August 30, 2016

The Gov. promised no cuts to existing Council bus services. We'll be holding them to their word. @StirlHinchliffe @jackietrad @MarkBaileyMP

— Cr Adrian Schrinner (@Schrinner) August 30, 2016

Absolutely @Schrinner. We only get better PT services in Brisbane through a close partnership - I know we'll work together to deliver that.

— Stirling Hinchliffe (@StirlHinchliffe) August 30, 2016

[ozbob]

Sources have suggested that today at the BCC meeting, a presentation on a new bus contract was scheduled.  Apparently this lead to the exchange above.  I can only guess that some screws are being applied to meet improved performance outcomes.  This might have triggered the proposed timing review etc. 

[ozbob]

Adrian is on a roll ...  something has triggered this  ...   

A pledge is a pledge! We look forward to working with the State Gov. to help them keep their promise. pic.twitter.com/FIt3fodhoX

— Cr Adrian Schrinner (@Schrinner) August 30, 2016

[ozbob]

Here we go ...

Brisbanetimes --> State government suspends Translink bus contract negotiations

Negotiations between Translink and south-east Queensland's bus operators for the delivery of services have been suspended, pending a state government review into the process.

Existing contracts were set to expire in July next year and the current round of negotiations started at the end of 2015. The government's review was expected to last about four weeks.

Brisbane deputy mayor Adrian Schrinner welcomed the move on Tuesday morning and said he had several issues with the process, not least of which was a non-disclosure agreement that prevented meaningful communication with impacted staff.

"There are very clear clauses (in the enterprise bargaining agreement) that we must consult staff and also consult the unions, so the fact that we've got this veil of secrecy on us limits our ability to do that, which is very concerning," he said.

A spokeswoman for Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the government would review the process prior to reopening negotiations with both private operators and the Brisbane City Council-owned Brisbane Transport.

"The Minister for Transport called the deputy mayor this morning to advise the director-general has initiated a pause and audit of the south-east Queensland bus contracts process," she said.

"The Palaszczuk government made a clear commitment at the election that we would conduct contract renewal through a negotiated contract process with operators.

"Unlike the former government, we are absolutely committed to a partnership with the bus industry to deliver more efficient and greater services."

Cr Schrinner, the chairman of the council's public and active transport committee, spent the majority of Tuesday morning's committee meeting raising the council's concerns with the process, before he dropped the bombshell.

"I am heartened that he is listening, because this morning before this meeting I received a call from Minister Hinchliffe to say that this process has been stopped completely and he is conducting a review of the contract negotiations in light of the concerns that we've raised," he said.

"So, essentially, the process is stopped and there'll be no further work until that review is done."

Cr Schrinner said he was concerned, as part of the negotiations, private operators could have taken the busier routes out the council's hands.

"My concern is that they'll be saying 'OK, so the council can't operate this particular route as efficiently or as cost-effectively as a private operator', they'll hive off those good routes, give them to private operators and leave council with the non-performing routes," he said.

"That's theoretically something that can happen, because there are some services that do quite well in terms of the revenue return and there are others that are essentially community services and are never going to make a profit."

Cr Schrinner said the council could also be forced to cut routes.

"My concern is that, ultimately, they could just cap our funding and we'd be forced to make those decisions that Translink is not prepared to make," he said.

Council opposition transport spokesman Jared Cassidy said Cr Schrinner had engaged in "an exercise in political point-scoring against the state government" rather than getting a better deal for Brisbane.

"Public transport is a fundamental community service and should be treated as such," he said.

"When Labor came to government in Queensland they made a commitment that they were going to abandon the previous LNP government's plans to privatise essential public transport services.

"We are confident that if we work constructively with the state government instead of trying to score cheap political points, we can achieve the best outcome for Brisbane ratepayers and bus passengers."

Would-be bus service providers had until October to lodge their expressions of interest.

Comment had been sought from Translink.

[ozbob]

Be nice if the public was told what was actually going on @StirlHinchliffe ?
Statement?#qldpol
>> https://t.co/TfUZig72Rn

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) August 30, 2016

[verbatim9]

Looks like some major changes ahead!? Hope we get better Night link services e.g. Every 30mins Not just a week before Xmas but for the Whole of Dec and Jan as well as hourly nightlink when there is public holiday following a Sunday.

[ozbob]

And another version ...

Couriermail Quest --> Any decision by TransLink to cap funding could put the brakes on council's bus service

BRISBANE bus services are likely to be slashed as future funding for the network remains uncertain.

At this morning's Public and Active Transport Committee chairman and deputy mayor Adrian Schrinner said if the State Government restricted or capped transport funding council may be left with no choice but to cut services.

"We don't want to have to remove services that are vital for the community but obviously we will be fighting back any attempts by the state to do that," Cr Schrinner said.

The future of the council funded Maroon City Glider is one service that Cr Schrinner confirmed could be in jeopardy.

"It's not something we want to reduce the services on, but ultimately it comes down to making sure we can balance the budget and if TransLink is going to reduce their funding or cap their funding then that will have a flow on effect onto services that council can provide," he said.

Opposition Transport spokesman Jared Cassidy said council needed to work with the State Government to get the best deal possible.

"This administration has previously slashed $20 million from the public transport budget and has overseen the largest decline in public transport patronage this city has ever seen," Mr Cassidy said.

"Public transport is a fundamental community service and should be treated as such."

Spokeswoman for the Minister for Transport Stirling Hinchliffe said the State Government was serious about investing in public transport.

"That's why we have announced our Fairer Fares package which will benefit more than 93 per cent of commuters and deliver cheaper fares across the board," Mr Hinchliffe said.

Residents are unlikely to know about the future of their bus services anytime soon as Mr Hinchliffe contacted Mr Schrinner today and told him the audit of Southeast Queensland bus contracts had again been prolonged, this time being put on hold indefinitely.

"We don't know what the new time frame is and what will happen next," Cr Schrinner said.

"I take the minister at his word that he's serious about some of the concerns that we've raised ... but obviously council wants to be involved in this process going forward.

"My concern is that ultimately they (State Government) will just cap the funding and we (council) will be forced to make the decisions they are not prepared to make."

TransLink has been contacted for response.

[nathandavid88]

Looks like some major changes ahead!? Hope we get better Night link services e.g. Every 30mins Not just a week before Xmas but for the Whole of Dec and Jan as well as hourly nightlink when there is public holiday following a Sunday.

As good as Nightlink improvements would be, there are many more important shortcomings that need to be fixed with the BCC Bus Network.

[SurfRail]

The Deputy Mayor is crowing that BCC has been running buses for 90 years.

If they've had that long, why are they still so rubbish at it?

[ozbob]

Yope.  It is no wonder the buses are running on late on timetables that are near 20 year old plus in some cases.

Unbelievable the mess that is Brisbane public transport ...

[James]

Looks like some major changes ahead!? Hope we get better Night link services e.g. Every 30mins Not just a week before Xmas but for the Whole of Dec and Jan as well as hourly nightlink when there is public holiday following a Sunday.

NightLink is totally separate from PT funding - it is seen as a Safe Night Out initiative. Anyway, there are more important things to worry about, like buses running on Sundays and more often than 2-hourly on weekdays. Remember, NightLink services are expensive to run as they have double the staff (driver + security) and run at a time of very high penalty rates (12am - 5am).

Here we go ...

Brisbanetimes --> State government suspends Translink bus contract negotiations

Shots fired. The state government is about to take on BCC. Here's hoping for a positive outcome from this review!

[Stillwater]

Focus must be people and travellers, plus transport efficiencies, not political point scoring and egos, or the eternal Lib-Lab fight.

[Stillwater]

Schrinner says the halt has been put in place to investigate concerns he had with the process.  Is this just politicking and mischief-making?  Could there be another explanation and is it in the best of interests of transparency and accountability for Mr Hinchliffe to shed some light on the situation?

[#Metro]

I think the "concern" here is that the State Government will not pump yet even more money into the black hole that BCC has become regarding the bus contracts.

BCC wants to 'adjust' the timetable so the buses run slower but are 'on time'.

This could be anywhere from adding a few minutes fat to dumping around half an hour of lard into the timetable.

I think Stirling Hinchliffe is about to lose control of the transport portfolio, just like his predecessor.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

31st August 2016

It is time to dump BCC's bus contracts!

Greetings,

The time has come to cut Brisbane City Council (BCC) out of public transport administration and operation in SEQ altogether.

We are disappointed that the Minister for Transport Stirling Hinchliffe would even consider renewing Brisbane City Council's bus contract in view of the recent failures.

Privatisation is not the issue here - the CityCat and all other bus operators in South East Queensland are already private.

All BCC bus staff and buses should move to the State Government. NSW already does this.

The Queensland Government handed BCC responsibility for Brisbane's trams in the 1920s. Is that a good reason to put up with BCC today?

We are shocked that BCC had instructed its own staff not to attend TransLink's bus review process on six occasions back in 2013.

We are shocked that BCC has actively resisted attempts to reform its bus network, for many years.

We are shocked that BCC has now threatened to cut bus service to parts of Brisbane.

We are shocked that BCC's bus network is full of waste and inefficiency and that the State Government has let it sit there. This waste and inefficiency stems from old legacy routes and poor bus network design that promotes duplication and lack of connections. (*)

We are shocked that BCC was identified as a threat to State finances by the Commission of Audit. It shocks us that it now demands an extra $5 million in exchange for slower bus services.

We are shocked that BCC's bus network contains massive service ' black holes' in Yeronga, Bulimba, the Centenary Suburbs, the Northwest and Inner Northwest. This has not been fixed for years!

Transport Minister Hinchliffe - please explain to us why you intend on signing BCC as a bus operator again. Are there really no other options? In our opinion, signing BCC up again after a smorgasbord of toxic politics and poor service is just madness and not in the community's best interests.

The Minister talks about "partnership." A partnership is voluntary and based on mutual respect and trust. That is definitely not the case here!  Contracts that are renewed regardless, no-matter-what are not voluntary.
Why has the State Government become an ATM and a doormat to be walked all over? Some partnership!

Minister, cancel the renewal of Brisbane City Council's bus contract! The continued passive non-management of essential public services is setting the Palaszczuk Government up for a massive electoral defeat in our opinion.

Best wishes
Robert

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

References

RAIL Back on Track's New Bus Network Proposal http://tiny.cc/newnetwork

Call for CityGlider in the Centenary Suburbs
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/brisbane-buses-call-for-cityglider-in-centenary-suburbs-20141105-11gxl3.html

* "As part of our New Bus Network Proposal for Brisbane, we release an additional summary
report detailing what went wrong with the BCC bus network. The Lord Mayor is on record
stating that the BCC bus network is 'not broken'. We disagree. Now, anybody can download
our report and see why fares escalated by a 100% over 4 years."

http://backontrack.org/docs/bus/reform/BusReformBlueprint.pdf

Below is a list of government-owned and private operators that are already working to
supply public transport services. The current debate ignores basic facts that private
buses, private ferries and private trams are already running all over the public transport network.

List of Government Owned Operators on the TransLink Network
Brisbane Transport (Brisbane City Council)
Queensland Rail (State of Queensland)

List of Private Operators on the TransLink Network (SEQ)

Gold Coast Light Rail (GoldLinQ)
Brisbane City Council CityCat & Ferries (Privatised to TransDev TSL, a Veolia Company)
Airtrain - Private (but operated by QR staff under contract)

Bay Islands Transit - Private
Bribie Island Coaches - Private
Brisbane Bus Lines - Private
Buslink - Private
Bus Queensland Lockyer Valley - Private
Caboolture Bus Lines - Private
Clarks Logan City Bus Service - Private
Hornibrook Bus Lines - Private
Kangaroo Bus Lines - Private
Mt Gravatt Bus Lines - Private
Park Ridge Transit - Private
Southern Cross Transit - Private
Sunshine Coast Sunbus - Private
Surfside Bus Lines - Private
Thompsons's Bus Service - Private
Veolia Transport - Private
Westside Bus Company (Bus Queensland) - Private

http://translink.com.au/site-information/contact-us-and-help#seq-operators

[ozbob]

Latest media: ' It is time to dump BCC's bus contracts! '
> https://t.co/rLRSTbU7xU#qldpol@QLDLabor @LNPQLD pic.twitter.com/mCkid50Hoc

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) August 30, 2016

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

1st September 2016

Passengers in revolt over BCC bus axe threats

Greetings,

RAIL Back on Track calls for more information on the reasons why the bus tendering process for SEQ has been put on indefinite hold.

Is Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe going to take BCC's bus contracts and terminate them? Perhaps he should, the Brisbane bus network is in failure.

The Palaszczuk Government's passive non-management of essential public services is setting itself up for a massive electoral defeat.

One of the many former Bligh Government blunders was the knee-jerk rejection of the offer, set on a silver platter, to take direct control of the BCC bus network. Incredibly, this even came with an annual funding guarantee.

Former Transport minister Rachel Nolan made it absolutely clear what she really thought about Brisbane City Council as a so-called "delivery partner".

"Minister Nolan, in re-litigating the issue regarding livery emphasised to me her belief to that council was not a legitimate partner in the delivery of public transport," the letter says.

We agree.

What kind of "delivery partner" makes direct public threats to axe bus services on the network?

We will tell you what kind - it's one that should be fired!

Minister, is it acceptable to you that your "delivery partner" suggests adding up to almost half an hour of delay to bus service timetables? And wants $5 million more for no new services? How is that ' value for money '?

Comments on a recent Brisbane Times article show that passengers are in open revolt.

"I would be very happy to see all routes contracted to whatever private operators who will implement all changes based on the bus network review. BCC is just incapable to improve their network and they deserve zero funding."

"There is everything wrong with BCC running its own services."

"They are parochial and insular, and that might even be forgivable if they were a competent operators, but they are not. They have truly woeful amounts of fare evasion, dead running and other wastage which the other operators clamped down on long ago."

"Its time to give them the boot and get somebody in who knows what they are doing and has running a competent bus service.."

"Is there a compelling reason why a private operator can't or shouldn't operate routes in Brisbane? This already happens in other parts of south east Queensland."

"Please, please, PLEASE take the bus contract away from BCC!"

"We do not have a competent system manager here. We not only need to flick BCC out of the frame, but there needs to be significant regulatory reform so we have an agency which has the ability to plan and deliver services without interference from intransigent local governments."

"We're happy we moved, and sadly a real example of the fact Brisbane has huge transport blackspots and no proper bus network."

"If the State Government wants that they should cut off Brisbane City Councils bus contracts and run the buses itself."

"BT could be replaced by a private operator and the same drivers could be driving the same buses and commuters would get much better service."

"TransLink is forced to tick and flick whatever BCC puts in front of it because otherwise BCC kicks up a stink and makes things difficult for the government of the day by threatening to pull its 25% share of the funding."

"We seem to be going around in a circle and nothing is getting done. Starting to get annoyed."

Minister, when your own passengers are telling you to cancel an operator's bus contracts, why does that not register at George St that something isn't right?

History has proven beyond all doubt that governments that lack backbone and decision-making capacity are booted out
of office. It happened to Anna Bligh, and it happened to Campbell Newman. It can happen again.´

Listen to your passengers. Get someone else to run Brisbane's buses. After all, they, not Brisbane City Council, are the ones ultimately paying.

Best wishes
Robert

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

References:

I don't want your buses, Bligh tells Newman
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/i-dont-want-your-buses-bligh-tells-newman-20100310-pz6m.html

State government suspends Translink bus contract negotiations
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/state-government-suspends-translink-bus-contract-negotiations-20160830-gr4bny.html

[ Attached: http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=12396.msg178923#msg178923 ]

[ozbob]

Latest media: ' Passengers in revolt over BCC @Team_Quirk bus axe threats '
> https://t.co/Q5gfizABhT#qldpol pic.twitter.com/WeZRZKhp0Q

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) August 31, 2016

[bcasey]

I'm a bit late to this thread, but from what I can see in the original news article, they are only listing services which are running late and need time put into the timetable. I'm wondering if BCC has also looked at all of the routes that have way too much fat in the timetable and are always early, and whether they plan on fixing those timetables as well. I reckon if this timetable review was done globally on all services for all routes, they would probably end up saving millions of dollars rather than requiring 5 million more from Translink.

Those time increases also seem pretty high to me. My guess is that they have erred on the conservative side, creating timetables that would be on-time/early at a very high %, like 90+, so that they have a reason to get more money while also allowing them to be more lax on their driver's performance.

[techblitz]

They have added extra minutes for the GCL which is a long time coming.
Should reduce the bad bus-rail connection rate @ Salisbury/sherwood  due to increasing congestion the route encounters on kessels/mains rd @ robertson and sunnybank...

Some examples of the new changes: 599 ex garden city arr Sherwood

OLD

dep garden city 2.48pm arr Sherwood 3.17pm >> 29mins trip time
dep garden city 4.58pm arr Sherwood 5.30pm >> 32 mins trip time

NEW

dep garden city 2.44pm arr Sherwood 3.24pm >> 40mins trip time
dep garden city 4.50pm arr Sherwood 5.27pm >> 37mins trip time

[HappyTrainGuy]

The maps are by far better. Just check oiut the 336/337 loop map/

https://translink.com.au/sites/default/files/assets/timetables/161212-336,337.pdf

[ozbob]

" Zones effective 9 January 2017 "

Well that is something to look forward too ..   

[verbatim9]

They have added extra minutes for the GCL which is a long time coming.
Should reduce the bad bus-rail connection rate @ Salisbury/sherwood  due to increasing congestion the route encounters on kessels/mains rd @ robertson and sunnybank...

Some examples of the new changes: 599 ex garden city arr Sherwood

OLD

dep garden city 2.48pm arr Sherwood 3.17pm >> 29mins trip time
dep garden city 4.58pm arr Sherwood 5.30pm >> 32 mins trip time

NEW

dep garden city 2.44pm arr Sherwood 3.24pm >> 40mins trip time
dep garden city 4.50pm arr Sherwood 5.27pm >> 37mins trip time

599/598 That would be due to increased traffic congestion from 2pm-6.30pm. I catch these services in the afternoons from Chermside and around those times the services tend to run 5-10mins late.

[techblitz]

for anyone using the GCL....multiple reports of Sherwood depot drivers getting lost as they learn the ropes! Will only be temporary....

from facebook this morning...

Pretty poor effort for the week Translink, 598 bus on Monday was 30 minutes late and I had to direct the bus driver where to go. 15 minutes late today and again the bus driver didn't know the route.

on the 599 that I used yesterday the Sherwood driver also got lost

[Otto]

Was expected.
Carina and Toowong no longer do GCL.
All operated by Sherwood now who are new to the GCL route. After a few weeks, they should all know the way. It is the hardest BT route to learn.

[techblitz]

They are going to need to be on the ball with the o.t.r for this Sherwood change and the new driver change delays....there are fairly important bus-rail connections to be made at Salisbury and Sherwood.
There are probably going to be many instances of people hopping off the bus only to see their train pulling in or already leaving.

[Otto]

Just a heads up.
Seems the 238 will be withdrawn. Can't see any info on Translink yet.