TransLink Annual Report 2011/12

[ozbob]

TransLink Annual Report

--> http://translink.com.au/about-translink/reporting-and-publications/annual-and-quarterly-reports

[ozbob]

Email received, 4th October 2012

==================

2011-12 TransLink Transit Authority Annual Report

Good Afternoon,

The TransLink Transit Authority (TTA) Annual Report 2011-12 has been finalised and is now available at http://translink.com.au/about-translink/reporting-and-publications/annual-and-quarterly-reports

This is also the final report of the TransLink Transit Authority. On 6 August 2012, TransLink transitioned into TransLink Division within the Department of Transport and Main Roads and all future reporting for TransLink Division will be undertaken through the Department's annual reporting.

The focus of this year's annual report is on how TransLink is delivering a better public transport system for our customers through our investment in new technologies, improving our products, providing more services and better infrastructure.

Our key highlights in 2011-12 include:

    $1.5 billion invested to deliver the TransLink network in 2011-12
    Delivering an additional 383 554 new weekly public transport seats across the network, providing customers with access to additional services and a more comfortable ride
    Recognition of TransLink's go card as the best public transport smart card in Australia – catering for 81.4 per cent of all trips taken on the TransLink network
    Launch of our next generation website journey planner making journey planning even easier for our customers
    Piloting the new real-time passenger information system – Trip Tracker – that will deliver real time bus arrival times and information to customers.

As a valued stakeholder of TransLink, I thank you for taking the time to review this year's report and encourage you to provide feedback via our via our online feedback survey accessible from the TransLink website translink.com.au Your comments and suggestions will play a key role in enabling us to continually improve our year-round reporting to the community.

Should you have any questions about the TransLink Transit Authority Annual Report 2011-12, please contact us on (07) 3338 4438 or email annual.report@translink.com.au.

Yours sincerely

Neil Scales
Deputy Director General
TransLink Division | Department of Transport and Main Roads

[ozbob]

Still in total delusion with bus OTP page 64  .... what a joke ...

Annual report confirms a failing fare system.  Time for an overhaul!

[somebody]

Annual report confirms a failing fare system.  Time for an overhaul!

What leads you to that conclusion?  What I got out of the farebox recovery comments was that costs were blowing out quite unreasonably.

[ozbob]

Annual report confirms a failing fare system.  Time for an overhaul!

What leads you to that conclusion?  What I got out of the farebox recovery comments was that costs were blowing out quite unreasonably.

They said themselves in the report (page 64) ... look at affordability (page 37) ...

And patronage has fallen, subsidy increased.

Focus on affordability

TransLink's customer satisfaction survey for January to March 2012 showed
our customers' satisfaction with public transport affordability had dropped
to its lowest ever rating. Affordability satisfaction for train passengers for the
period dropped to 45 — the first time this measure had ever dropped below
50. Affordability satisfaction for bus and ferry passengers reflected similar
levels of dissatisfaction, dropping to 51 (from 57 the previous quarter) and
53 (from 61 the previous quarter) respectively. Recognising the increasing
dissatisfaction among customers has set in train a string of new policies
to target affordability

Page 71

= FAILURE

[ozbob]

I have requested from TransLink a detailed explanation be provided as to how bus OTP is determined and why it is the worlds best, better than a rail system?

[ozbob]

... catering for 81.4 per cent of all trips taken on the TransLink network ....

And a disgrace, myki is already much greater.  Pull paper and put the punters out of the paper ripoff zone, least they can do  ...

[ozbob]

Also worth noting that the measure Services running without cancellation for rail is reported but not bus (page 64).

They used to report bus at 100% until I queried that a few years ago and suggested not possible.  They never replied just stopped publishing that figure for bus ... 

[ozbob]

Corporate go card: the trial of a transferable
corporate go card. Used by staff when travelling
for business purposes, the corporate
go card was taken up by 25 private and
public organisations in 2011-12, with
518 cards now in use on the network.

U-Pass: delivered in partnership with the
University of the Sunshine Coast and the
Sunshine Coast Regional Council, TransLink's
U-Pass provides travel subsidies to students
and staff at the University of the Sunshine Coast
to encourage greater use of public transport.
The university provides a funding subsidy for
students and staff through the scheme and
this year purchased 3000 go cards loaded with
$195 000 of travel credit.

Seniors Card + go: with a Seniors Card on
one side and TransLink's Seniors go card on
the other, card holders can access a range
of government concessions and business
discounts as well as storing money on the card
to pay for concession fares on the TransLink
network. The convenient, double-sided card
is free, easy to use and has all the usual savings
available with the current Seniors Card. This
year, we saw a 50 per cent increase with
27 369 more customers taking up Seniors
Card + go, and 48 623 cards now in use on
the network.

TransLink Access Pass: the TransLink
Access Pass caters for customers who have
a significant permanent physical or intellectual
disability and are able to independently travel on
public transport, but are unable to use go card.
TransLink received 225 applications for the
pass in 2011–12 up from 129 in 2010-11.

page 71

[Golliwog]

Ozbob, these may be of interest to you:

TL12/422

    Application number: TL12/422
    Date of release: 26 July 2012
    Topic/information requested: Incidents reports and details when buses have:
        run out of petrol
        mechanically broken down in the last 2 years and impacts on passenger movements.
    Attachments:
        Decision letter (PDF, 553KB)
        Comment details report (PDF, 7MB)

^Basically, no official records for broken down buses were found, all they had were logs of people contacting Translink about it.

TL11/92

    Application number: TL11/92
    Date of release: 4 May 2011
    Topic/information requested: Documents held by TransLink Transit Authority concerning the on-time running performance of buses:
        For each of the 16 bus operators separately, please supply for each of the four quarters since January 2009 the reported average on-time running performance, that is, Quarter 3, 2008-09, Quarter 4, 2008-09. Then Quarter 1, 209-10, Quarter 2, 2009-10 and Quarter 3, 2009-10, Quarter 4, 2009-10. Then Quarter 1, 2010-11, Quarter 2, 2010-11.
        For each of the 16 bus operators individually, please supply for each of the quarters since January 1, 2009 the worst daily on-time running performance and the best on-time running performance in the quarterly period.
        For each of the 16 bus operators individually, please list where the operator has been penalised for missing reliability performance targets or incentives have been offered for good performance.
    Attachments:
        On-time running performance of buses (PDF, 78KB)

From that last one:

Notes
a)
Results are obtained through a manual audit of approximately 1.2% of total trips provided in any month.
b)
A number expressed thus , e.g. 86.84% represents that for the period during which the audit was conducted 86.84% of services ran within
timetable parameters.
c)
The On Time Running averages provided above by Operator by month and by quarter are a combination of results for Early Departures,
Late Arrivals and with the exception of BT and Mt Gravatt, Missed Connections.
d)
The On Time Running averages provided above by Operator by month and by quarter are post application of Force Majuere for factors
beyond the control of the Operator which affect its ability to adhere to timetable.
e)
A number expressed in GREEN represents best monthly compliance with timetable whilst a number expressed in RED represents
the worst monthly performance for the quarter for an Operator

[ozbob]

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

1.2% sample, and they don't tell you that sample is both peak and off peak.

It is bullsh%t!

[ozbob]

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

1.2% trip sample, and they don't tell you that sample is both peak and off peak.

It is bullsh%t!

Contrast that to rail, 100% of all trips.  Which is correct?

[ozbob]

Reality ....

612 ABC Brisbane Radio Breakfast with Spencer Howson

Click --> here!

Translink stats for Oct-Dec 2011 released

11 April 2012 , 8:14 AM by Spencer Howson

Translink's new CEO Neil Scales gave me a copy of the latest performance statistics yesterday. I had a good read last night.

One of the questions for Neil yesterday morning was - when will buses start running on time? He said while it was easy for trains to be on time, buses are never on time - anywhere in the world - because of traffic. But this report shows buses are consistently on time MORE OFTEN than trains. 95% of buses, 94.5% of trains. Last quarter 95% of buses, 93% of trains. YET bus passengers are less happy than train travellers with on-time running (65% are satisifed, 70% of train passengers)

With GoCard fixed fares - the penalties for not touching off - the % of trips incurring a fixed fare has indeed dropped off to around 2% of trips but the number of GoCard adjustments (where people complain and get their money back) has shot up in just six months!! From 5 in every 10,000 trips to nearly 12!!

The other one that jumps out is passenger injuries. Bus passenger injuries are trending down but train passenger injuries are at their highest level in two years.

With me to chew it over is Robert Dow from the public transport advocacy group RAIL Back on Track:

[beauyboy]

And why in hell is the PDF in Black and White.
I know colour printing costs more and the Government has banned it but Colour PDFs cost no more than Black & White PDFs

This cost cutting is getting just strange!

Donald

[ozbob]

And why in hell is the PDF in Black and White.
I know colour printing costs more and the Government has banned it but Colour PDFs cost no more than Black & White PDFs

This cost cutting is getting just strange!

Donald

I was frothing so much at the bus OTP bull I hardly noticed ... lol

  weird Donald, weird .... 

Queenslander!

[Golliwog]

What gets me though is that with go card data they should be able to relatively easily check on time running for buses. My go card transaction history tells me exactly what time I got touched on/off a bus and where, so it's a fair bet that at that time, the bus I was on was at that stop. It shouldn't be that hard to get the system to compare touch times with timetable times...

Either that, or hopefully with the real time trial goes network wide they will use that to grade bus OTP.

[ozbob]

Indeed Golli, using the system data would give  proper and accurate data.  It is wishful thinking to think that we have better than 96% bus OTP.

Some current snap shots.

Transperth - For bus services, no service must leave a timetabled timing point early, nor must they be more than four minutes later than the timetabled departure time at any given timing point along their route.

http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/AboutUs/Surveysandstatistics.aspx

Bus system punctuality 71%

Metro Adelaide - not more than 59 seconds before and not more than 4 minutes and 59 seconds

http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/assets/uploads/Light-City-Buses-April-June-2012.pdf

On time 70.6%

Sydney - leaves between zero to 5 minutes after the
scheduled departure time.

http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/content/information-bus-passengers

Average for August 2012  94.2 %

Melbourne - Metropolitan bus punctuality is defined as a trip that is operated and is no more than 59 seconds early or five minutes 59 seconds late.

http://corp.ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/PTV/PTV%20docs/Track%20Record/TrackRecord51.pdf

93.9%

Brisbane Brisbane - Within six minutes (after) or two minutes (before) the scheduled arrival time.

http://translink.com.au/about-translink/reporting-and-publications/annual-and-quarterly-reports

96.12%

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

5th October 2012

TransLink Annual Report 2011/12

Greetings,

The TransLink Annual Report was released publicly yesterday.  See -->  http://translink.com.au/about-translink/reporting-and-publications/annual-and-quarterly-reports

Fare unaffordability is confirmed as a major issue.  It is time that a proper fare review was undertaken.  The present fare system is unaffordable for many and turning people away from public transport.

We have a petition here -->  http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/fare-review-for-translink-south-east-queensland-now.html

The other issue is the reported bus on-time-performance.

Some background  --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9144.msg110186#msg110186

There is no way the public perceives bus OTP (ontime performance) as reported in the annual report as being 96.12%.  The figure is a result of a very small sample (around 1.2% of bus trips, both peak and off peak), and overly generous timing limits.  It creates a misrepresentation of the reality.

Here is a snap shot of bus OTP around the country.

Transperth - For bus services, no service must leave a timetabled timing point early, nor must they be more than four minutes later than the timetabled departure time at any given timing point along their route.

http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/AboutUs/Surveysandstatistics.aspx

Bus system punctuality 71%

Metro Adelaide - not more than 59 seconds before and not more than 4 minutes and 59 seconds

http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/assets/uploads/Light-City-Buses-April-June-2012.pdf

On time 70.6%

Sydney - leaves between zero to 5 minutes after the
scheduled departure time.

http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/content/information-bus-passengers

Average for August 2012  94.2 %

Melbourne - Metropolitan bus punctuality is defined as a trip that is operated and is no more than 59 seconds early or five minutes 59 seconds late.

http://corp.ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/PTV/PTV%20docs/Track%20Record/TrackRecord51.pdf

93.9%

Brisbane Brisbane - Within six minutes (after) or two minutes (before) the scheduled arrival time.

http://translink.com.au/about-translink/reporting-and-publications/annual-and-quarterly-reports

96.12%

Rail OTP is robust.  It is accurate and represents 100% of the services during the peaks.

It is sad that the community is treated poorly with unreliable data.  Is it designed to create a bias against rail?   Fair question don't you think ...

Best wishes
Robert

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

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Public transport patronage slides

Public transport patronage slides
October 5, 2012 - 3:00AM
Katherine Feeney

The continued slide of patronage on Brisbane's public transport network has been identified as a core issue facing the Newman government as TransLink's annual report reveals the scope of the system's problems.

Figures in the report, tabled in Parliament this week, show 300,000 less people used the TransLink network last financial year compared with 2010-2011, with patronage down 7.7 million trips on the 186 million target set by the previous Bligh administration.

Last year's four-year low of 178.3 million trips was 3.5 million less than number of passengers recorded in 2009-10, with the most recent decrease blamed on a contraction in demand brought about by delays in the delivery of major transport projects and fare increases.

In January this year, fares went up by 15 per cent for the third time in three years to help fund an extra 140,000 bus seats, though then Transport Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk moved to soften the blow by offering free travel for commuters after they took 10 journeys in any one week.
Advertisement

But according to the annual report, that incentive accounted for $3.1 million of the $24 million total revenue loss recorded over the period, with bad weather and lower than anticipated network growth also listed among the contributing factors.

Transport Minister Scott Emerson said one of the biggest challenges facing the LNP government was attracting people back on to public transport.

"Our plan to get people back on to public transport will require us to fix the lowest affordability ever, improve reliability, which reached a three-year low between January and March 2012, and improve the frequency of services," Mr Emerson said.

"We are improving affordability by providing free trips after nine journeys. This has been an enormous success with about 200,000 free trips taken each week."

Mr Emerson said fare increases were still necessary, but he confirmed an election commitment to cap the rises for the next two years at 7.5 per cent.

The cap will impact the average revenue per passenger trip TransLink can expect to achieve, which was up on last year, but it was still below target, sitting at $2.02 compared with $1.76 in 2010-11.

Revenue will continue to be damaged by fare evasion, estimated to cost about $18 million last financial year.

However an increase in seating capacity is anticipated ameliorate some of the downward pressure, with 383,554 new seats per week introduced across the network last financial year, 78,554 more than the targeted amount and 75,554 more than in the previous period.

The extra seats resulted from spending on trains, the opening of the $465 million Eastern Busway, the delivery of high frequency priority routes and the introduction of new services brought about by the launch of the $444 million Northern Busway extension.

In addition to addressing affordability issues, Mr Emerson said he would focus on achieving better frequency and reliability of services.

"We are improving frequency with 2000 additional weekly bus services in June and will deliver an additional 28 daily services on the Ferny Grove line from Monday," he said.

"In terms of reliability we recently conducted an audit of Queensland Rail's maintenance and the recommendations and implementation timeframes are currently being considered.

"Along the way we have also started a review of the network's bus services, fixed ticketing to the Ekka and delivered better coordination between weekend track closures and major event promoters."

The review aims to eliminate duplication, address major infrastructure capacities, and simplify network operations, with TransLink currently considering the first round of recommendations, and implementation due for 2013.

A spokesman for Mr Emerson said the review attracted 4016 responses during the first round of public consultation, covering about 80 per cent of bus routes.

In his forward to the report, TransLink chief executive officer Neil Scales acknowledged record low levels of customer patronage and satisfaction with affordability recorded in the year to increases in cost of living pressures.

Mr Scales also foreshadowed challenges associated with the incorporation of TransLink into the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads and the expansion of its role as a state-wide provider of passenger transport.

"The year ahead will see a significant change for TransLink but we are confident it is an endorsement of the work we have undertaken since the beginning of the TransLink Transit Authority in 2008 to deliver a high-quality public transport network for the people of South East Queensland," Mr Scales said.

"We will be operating on a much bigger scale but always with the customer and the community at the forefront of our planning and delivery."

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/public-transport-patronage-slides-20121004-271oq.html#ixzz28LtvQGwP

[ozbob]

Increases of 7.5% per annum are much greater than CPI, pension increases, wage and salary increases.  How is that going to make fares more affordable?  They are delusional ...

[ozbob]

Blog comments are building ...  --> http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/public-transport-patronage-slides-20121004-271oq.html

[Jonno]

A big influence on patronage that always goes unmentioned is "All 3 levels of Govt have spent billions on road expansion and Told the people that it is now easier to drive around town"

The number one PT competitor is getting overfunded and all the addvertising.

Not rocket science!!!

[HappyTrainGuy]

More like 96.12% of my bus trips are always late 

Unsuprisingly the majority of the railway related injuries are still from people running for a train only to fumble/miss that extra step and lose their footing, young women that haven't had enough to eat in the morning before catching the train and fainting as a result from standing for a prolonged period of time or those that have had a tad too much to drink when they meet Mr Stairs.

[ozbob]

Blog comments are building ...  --> http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/public-transport-patronage-slides-20121004-271oq.html

And building ....

[ozbob]

From the Couriermail click here!

Big bonuses paid to Queensland Rail and Translink execs despite public transport woes

Big bonuses paid to Queensland Rail and Translink execs despite public transport woes

    by: Robyn Ironside
    From: The Courier-Mail
    October 22, 2012 8:12AM

QUEENSLAND Rail and Translink executives pocketed almost $13 million in "performance bonuses" in 2011-12 despite public transport experiencing one of its worst years on record.

Figures published in annual reports show 1490 staff at Queensland Rail received bonuses totalling $12.7 million - up from $9.3 million in 2010-11.

Just three Translink executives shared in $147,000 in sweeteners, based on "Translink targets and key performance indicators".

The pay top-ups came despite a series of network meltdowns that stranded and delayed thousands of commuters, prompting a "fare free day" that cost around $2 million.

Translink also acknowledged in its annual report that customer satisfaction with affordability had fallen to a record low, and patronage had "levelled out".

It could be the last year big bonuses are paid to the transport execs with Transport Minister Scott Emerson announcing in July he had ordered a freeze of all Queensland Rail bonuses, saying the current structure was "not meeting community expectations, particularly in tough times".

"I think most people would take a dim view of bonuses at a time when we are making hard decisions to get Queensland back on track," Mr Emerson said.

Other key government personnel to score bigger pay packets were the Transport and Main Roads Director-General, who will pocket around $70,000 more than his predecessor.

Michael Caltabiano will receive a base salary of $479,000, compared with former DG Dave Stewart who earned $409,000.

The substantial increase comes at a time when Mr Caltabiano is overseeing the removal of up to 2000 staff, as part of a major restructure of his department.

Education, Training and Employment Director-General Julie Grantham saw her base salary leap from $352,000 to $409,000 - a 16 per cent increase - at the same time as teachers were being offered a 2.7 per cent pay rise.

Even the 77.8 staff of the Public Service Commission, who have overseen the cuts to the government's workforce, are each pocketing an average $11,000 more than 76 staff earned under the previous Labor regime.

The Office of Queensland Governor, Penelope Wensley was another area seemingly immune to the budget axe.

In 2011-12, Her Excellency maintained a staff of 37.5 people while employee expenses increased nearly $300,000.

[ozbob]

Public transport a mess, fare system in disarray, loss of confidence in DGs and Ministers.  Botched transport planning, failure to publish data, sad scene ...

And now apparent attempts to control the media:  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/media-diary/courier-mail-v-newman/story-fnab9kqj-1226500258433

[huddo45]

And now apparent attempts to control the media:  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/media-diary/courier-mail-v-newman/story-fnab9kqj-1226500258433

Not very successful attempts, I'd say..

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/michael-caltabiano-says-he-never-worked-for-a-lobbyists-firm-despite-business-card-featuring-his-photo/story-e6freon6-1226500282609

or

http://tinyurl.com/9xv93ej

[ozbob]

Probably helped to get it published ... LOL

The upper echelons of TMR have now lost the public confidence IMHO.  The Premier was happy to relieve a new minister of his portfolio when a minor discretion became known. 

But this is Queensland ...



And of course we all have photo business cards for businesses and lobbying outfits we have nothing do with as well.  After all, we are in Queensland ..

[Golliwog]

Public transport a mess, fare system in disarray, loss of confidence in DGs and Ministers.  Botched transport planning, failure to publish data, sad scene ...

And now apparent attempts to control the media:  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/media-diary/courier-mail-v-newman/story-fnab9kqj-1226500258433

Is it possible to post the text of the article, or is that against the rules of their paywall?

[ButFli]

Public transport a mess, fare system in disarray, loss of confidence in DGs and Ministers.  Botched transport planning, failure to publish data, sad scene ...

And now apparent attempts to control the media:  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/media-diary/courier-mail-v-newman/story-fnab9kqj-1226500258433

Is it possible to post the text of the article, or is that against the rules of their paywall?

A breach of copyright at minimum.

[Golliwog]

Public transport a mess, fare system in disarray, loss of confidence in DGs and Ministers.  Botched transport planning, failure to publish data, sad scene ...

And now apparent attempts to control the media:  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/media-diary/courier-mail-v-newman/story-fnab9kqj-1226500258433

Is it possible to post the text of the article, or is that against the rules of their paywall?

A breach of copyright at minimum.

Thought it might be. Google gets it for me though...?

[ozbob]

Public transport a mess, fare system in disarray, loss of confidence in DGs and Ministers.  Botched transport planning, failure to publish data, sad scene ...

And now apparent attempts to control the media:  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/media-diary/courier-mail-v-newman/story-fnab9kqj-1226500258433

Is it possible to post the text of the article, or is that against the rules of their paywall?

Articles behind a pay-wall cannot be posted as such.  But often if you google the article it may well be accessible ... strange I know.

The media is wondering why they are becoming less relevant ... not rocket science ..

The ABC news will be the major force come the complete pay-wall era ..