TransLink Tracker Q4 2011-12

[BrizCommuter]

http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/more-spin-delusion-from-translink-and.html
More spin and delusion from the Queensland Government.

[ozbob]

Media release 23rd October 2012

SEQ: Call for the release of the Q4 2011/2012 TransLink Tracker

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 the public release of a non-sanitised version of the Q4 2011/12 TransLink Tracker.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"TransLink publishes a quarterly snapshot of public transport performance data in a publication known as the TransLink Tracker.  The TransLink Tracker for the final quarter in the last financial year as not been released publicly  (1)."

"When the Minister for Transport was queried during the Parliamentary Estimates why the Tracker has not been published he failed to answer directly and asserted that the data was in the recently published TransLink Annual Report (2)."

"That is not the case. The TransLink Annual Report 2012 has some summary data derived from quarterly data eg. OTP, but the bulk of the data of various measures and detail in the  TransLink Tracker is NOT in the Annual Report."

"When in opposition, Mr Emerson stated in Parliament 'The government and its agencies need to be open, transparent and accountable, not evading responsibility and hiding the truth ....' (3)."

"Failing to be open, transparent and accountable is not acceptable Minister."

References:

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

2. http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/hansard/2012/2012_10_18_Estimates.pdf

3. http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/hansard/2011/2011_08_04_WEEKLY.pdf

Contact:

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

[ozbob]

Letter to the editor, published Queensland Times 24th October 2012 page 9

Secretive Emerson

[ozbob]

Now available ..

http://translink.com.au/resources/about-translink/reporting-and-publications/2011-12-quarterly-report-apr-to-jun.pdf

[ozbob]

OFFICE OF THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION

THURSDAY 25 OCTOBER 2012

Emerson caves on Q4 Tracker release

Transport Minister Scott Emerson today caved to Opposition demands to release the Q4 2011/12 TransLink Tracker.

Shadow Transport Minister Jackie Trad repeatedly asked Minister Emerson to release the Q4 report at estimates hearings last week, something he refused to do at that time.

"It is completely absurd that the Minister withheld publishing the public report until after estimates when he knew it would not face the same level of scrutiny," Ms Trad said.

"The Minister knows his excuses and denials at last week's hearing did not pass the truth test, which is why he back tracked today and published the report."

"But we are still yet to hear from the Minister why he sat on the report for so long."

Ms Trad said last week's estimates hearing clearly showed Minister Emerson had fudged the figures on train patronage for his own political purposes.

"The Minister has repeatedly used out-of-date, inaccurate figures from Translink's annual report to show that patronage had dropped on the network when in fact it has increased," Ms Trad said.

"When you compare TransLink's own accurate patronage data from 2010-11 to 2011-12, it shows that patronage increased by almost 4 million - not a decrease of 300,000 as this Minister falsely claims.

"How can we trust the data in the Q4 Tracker released today when the Minister is yet to explain why his annual report was not accurate?"

Ms Trad called on the Minister to guarantee that there would not be a delay in the future release of Translink Trackers.

"I also call on the Minister to publically release the raw data used to compile Translink Trackers by publishing it on the Newman Government's so-called open government website."

[BrizCommuter]

http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/translink-tracker-201112-q4.html
BrizCommuter's review of TransLink Tracker 2011/12 Q4.

Now where is the 2012/12 TransLink Network Plan? (Is there any plan anyway?)

[Set in train]

Now available ..

http://translink.com.au/resources/about-translink/reporting-and-publications/2011-12-quarterly-report-apr-to-jun.pdf

What I would like to know and I'm sure all RBOT'ers will; is what PT info will be available on the new open govt website that they've touted endlessly the last few weeks. They have been very quiet, but for open govt, we should be receiving a much greater level depth than the broad brush, mickey mouse graphs in the TL Tracker.

[ozbob]

Fixed fares rate 2.1%.  Adjustments 11 per 10,000 trips = 0.11%

So 2.1/0.11 = 19.1  so only about 1 in 19 fixed fares is adjusted ...

Fare evasion or ignorance, also some may choose not to adjust as they rationalise out the free trips they get with faulty go gear, particularly on the buses.

[ozbob]

Fare box recovery for the quarter was worse at 23.6%, to be expected with the 10/9 and free. 

Train patronage increased 1.7%

Bus patronage decreased by 3%

Ferry up by 29%

[colinw]

Bus patronage decreased by 3%

I doubt there's a connection, but I have noticed that my normal bus route to work (554) has been noticeably declining in peak hour patronage for the last few months.

Early in the year it was very common for the 7:51AM, 8:21AM and 8:51AM departures from Kuraby to be standing room only by the end of Stiller Drive.  Since mid year, this has simply not been the case. Student patronage has held up, but the number of full fare professionals boarding the bus in Kuraby and transferring to the busway to go to the city has dropped significantly, with comparable declines in the other direction in the evening.

Based on lanyards, logos on shirts, etc., a lot of these lost passengers were QLD public servants.  Victims of the cuts perhaps?  Or now able to get a carpark in the city.

Possibly also caused by the route's ontime running dropping badly of late. Over the last 2 weeks, I have had only one morning bus that was less than 8 minutes late.

[ozbob]

Lot more bus services too, so the fall is real alright. 

The feedback at Brisbanetimes today again confirms fare affordability major issue.

Nice of them to link the fare petition in the article, thanks.

[somebody]

Fare box recovery for the quarter was worse at 23.6%, to be expected with the 10/9 and free. 

FWIW, the 9 then free started on Mon 25/6/2012: http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2012/6/24/free-ride-home-on-friday-with-go-card

So it really only affected one week out of 13 and no weekends.  Although the 10 then free affected 12 weeks and every weekend.  I think it will be Q1 2012/13 that 9 then free will really bite.

[ozbob]

Fare box recovery for the quarter was worse at 23.6%, to be expected with the 10/9 and free. 

FWIW, the 9 then free started on Mon 25/6/2012: http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2012/6/24/free-ride-home-on-friday-with-go-card

So it really only affected one week out of 13 and no weekends.  Although the 10 then free affected 12 weeks and every weekend.  I think it will be Q1 2012/13 that 9 then free will really bite.

Yes, aware of that hence 10/9, it will start to be magnified I agree Q1 2012/13 and onwards ..

[somebody]

Cost performance vs Q4 2011-2012 per service-km was good.  Costs actually rose by 3.4% while bus service-km rose by 4.5% and rail service-km was steady.  Perhaps a decline in dead running?  Sherwood depot opened so may have helped.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

27th October 2012

Re: SEQ: Call for the release of the Q4 2011/2012 TransLink Tracker

Greetings,

The Q4 TransLink Tracker finally appeared.  A good summary of its contents can be found here -->  http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/translink-tracker-201112-q4.html

The Minister for Transport has already started quoting figures for Q1 2012/13 ( http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9193.0 ).  The public of course is just left in the dark generally with respect to detailed and timely public transport data in Queensland.

How long before the Q1 2012/13 TransLink Tracker is made available?

And in the future can the more complete version of the TransLink be made available please?  There are two versions of the TransLink Tracker apparently, a more detailed and complete version for insider use, and the sanitised version made available publicly.  We know this because once TransLink mistakenly posted up the detailed version for a short time on their website, before replacing it with the sanitised version.

Best wishes
Robert

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

Media release 23rd October 2012

SEQ: Call for the release of the Q4 2011/2012 TransLink Tracker

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 the public release of a non-sanitised version of the Q4 2011/12 TransLink Tracker.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"TransLink publishes a quarterly snapshot of public transport performance data in a publication known as the TransLink Tracker.  The TransLink Tracker for the final quarter in the last financial year as not been released publicly  (1)."

"When the Minister for Transport was queried during the Parliamentary Estimates why the Tracker has not been published he failed to answer directly and asserted that the data was in the recently published TransLink Annual Report (2)."

"That is not the case. The TransLink Annual Report 2012 has some summary data derived from quarterly data eg. OTP, but the bulk of the data of various measures and detail in the  TransLink Tracker is NOT in the Annual Report."

"When in opposition, Mr Emerson stated in Parliament 'The government and its agencies need to be open, transparent and accountable, not evading responsibility and hiding the truth ....' (3)."

"Failing to be open, transparent and accountable is not acceptable Minister."

References:

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

2. http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/hansard/2012/2012_10_18_Estimates.pdf

3. http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/hansard/2011/2011_08_04_WEEKLY.pdf

Contact:

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