Article: Review ordered for Westside Bus

[ozbob]

From the Queensland Times click here!

Review ordered for Westside Bus

Review ordered for Westside Bus

Peter Foley | 15th January 2010

TRANSPORT Minister Rachel Nolan has ordered a review of Westside Bus Company with the troubled service again under fire.

Lesleigh Lawrance is sick of waiting for buses.
Rob Williams

TRANSPORT Minister Rachel Nolan has ordered a review of Westside Bus Company with the troubled service again under fire.

The Member for Ipswich said she had been aware for months of problems with Westside, which is contracted to operate the Ipswich bus service.

"We are going to review their timetables in the first half of the year. I'd expect that to take a couple of months," Ms Nolan said.

"Some of their issues are legitimate. In their defence, their timetable is a bit tight. But buses should be on time; it's totally black and white.

"We will work with TransLink to make sure Westside gets their timetabling right."

She said she was fed up with Westside, which continued to attract criticism despite millions of government dollars being spent to prop it up.

"When I became Transport Minister I made it quite clear I wasn't happy with Westside Buses. I made improving it a priority," Ms Nolan said.

"In particular I was concerned about their reliability and the level of customer service.

"I believe we have seen some improvement in recent times. The feedback I get is that it's generally improving."

A TransLink audit showed Westside was on-time 87 per cent of the time for September 2009, up from 85.2 per cent in late 2008. However, Ms Nolan conceded there was plenty of room for improvement and she was "not backing off the pressure that I, through TransLink, am putting on Westside".

"TransLink has been down on Westside pretty hard because taxpayers put a lot of money into Westside and I have a very firm expectation that the level of customer satisfaction will improve," she said.

She said state funding for Westside Buses went up from $12.8 million in 2007-08 to a forecast $14.6 million in 2009-10.

Ms Nolan said the current Westside contract ran out in the middle next year.

LAST April Westside was ranked the second worst bus company in south-east Queensland and it appears little has changed.

Leichhardt resident Lesleigh Lawrance told The Queensland Times she allowed an hour to get from her home to the CBD.

"I volunteer in the Ipswich Hospice bargain centre and the bus I catch in the morning is never on time," Mrs Lawrance said.

"It's supposed to get here at 10 past nine and most times it doesn't get here until 9.45, which meant the 9.10 didn't arrive at all and the 9.40 was late.

"Every now and then the bus is on time and everyone is shocked.

"If I've got a 10am appointment, I've got to allow an hour to get in there. I'm five minutes away."

To make matters worse, she got on the train the other day to find the ticket that cost $1.80 before Christmas was now $2.60.

"I thought, how rude. Paying extra for a bus that's late most of the time," she said.

"They're unreliable and the drivers aren't particularly friendly, but that's a different story.

"There are a lot of people around here who don't have cars – if you catch a taxi into Ipswich it costs $12 – they're pensioners and they should have at least a semi-reliable bus service."

Robert Dow of public transport lobby group Rail Back on Track said the Ipswich bus service was "notoriously unreliable".

"Ipswich is probably the worst-performing service in south-east Queensland," Mr Dow said.

"With timetables, not enough time is left for turnarounds. There are timetables that have the bus leaving two minutes before it arrives. They need to rework their timetable.

"One problem is the buses don't match up with the trains. Because they're so often late, many times it doesn't make it to the train station to connect with the train people need to catch. Then it has a domino effect all the way.

"Is that an incentive for people to use public transport?

"They just ramped up the price of paper tickets by 40 per cent and Go Cards by 20 per cent. That is meant to pay for 200,000 bus seats. Where are they? Ipswich and Caboolture should be first cab off the rank.

"Ipswich is in the Minister's electorate and yet we hear all these stories. It's very odd."

[#Metro]

LAST April Westside was ranked the second worst bus company in south-east Queensland and it appears little has changed.

If Westside is the second worst, which one is the worst then?

There is a simple solution. When the contract runs out, don't renew it.
Tender it out to someone who will run a better service.

Too simple for TL to understand.

[ozbob]

I find it distressing that folks at Ipswich, and other places some consider not so important because they are out of the peak Brisbane CBD public transport fixation, continue to endure what can only be described as mediocre public transport services.  We have members here that can spend up to 4 hours on a journey to the hospital from suburbs of Ipswich that according to timetables should take around 2 hours.  Folks have to factor in every trip the likelihood of missed connections and so forth - unacceptable.

It is a further testament to the apparent attitude of authorities that only by publicly raising matters in media does it seem to start to get something happening.  Their own internal monitoring and quality processes, and feedback from punters must be alarming.  It seems only to be conveniently ignored ...

[#Metro]

There are too many half-baked solutions Ozbob. And no guts to follow through when things go wrong.
Look at the GoCard ticketing machines at busway stations. The mere act of placing them there is worthy of a media release, but guess what? They aren't even functional yet!

Its all show and tell to me.

[mufreight]

Lets be a little fair on this one,
1. Westside can only operate the services that they are contracted to Translink to operate
2. Translink sets the timetables which are impossibly tight and with the passing of time and increasing traffic are becoming even more unrealistic.
3. Timetables, which timetable does one believe?
   (a) The Translink printed timetable
   (b)  The Translink timetables posted at the bus stops
   (c)  The Timetable that Translink provides through its call centre, or
   (d)  The operating timetable obtained through Translink that is posted on the Westside website.
They are all different, something that the Minister can verify in a matter of minutes before making misleading and inaccurate media statements attempting to shift the blame for the disfunctional system that is Translink, some honesty in holding those actually responsible for the failures of public transport in her own electorate would be a positive.
Translink advised a number of those who made comment or complaint over two years ago that some routes such as the 504 and 505 would be rerouted through the Riverlink shopping centre at the next timetable change whic occoured in the November of 2007, still has not happened.
Translink also at that time said that it would co-ordinate the bus services with the rail for commuters, this still has not happened.
Perhaps the Minister should disolve Translink and pass the role of co-ordination of services back to Queensland Transport, the money saved could then be used for the actual provision of services instead of paying a flawed, failed and non performing bureaucracy that it seems presently is not accountable for its failures.

[ozbob]

From the Queensland Times click here!

Ipswich plans for fast bus system

Ipswich plans for fast bus system

16th January 2010

IPSWICH City Council wants to investigate a "fast buses" system for the Ipswich, after receiving complaints about the current bus service, Westside Bus Company.

While passengers wait for a Westside Bus to leave from Bell Street in Ipswich, council is hoping to find a faster alternative.
Sarah Harvey

IPSWICH City Council is planning for a rapid transit system but it won't come fast enough for the city's long-suffering bus users.

Yesterday's Queensland Times reported Transport Minister Rachel Nolan has ordered a review of Westside Bus Company.

The company, contracted by TransLink to operate the Ipswich bus service, has attracted a busload of criticism, mainly for being regularly late.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said the council wanted to investigate a system of "fast buses" for the rapidly-growing city.

"In the budget speech I presented to council last June money was allocated this financial year towards investigating the merits of establishing a rapid bus transit system between Ipswich and the Ripley Valley in the future," Cr Pisasale said.

"Ipswich City Council is working in partnership with the State Government and contributing $110,000 towards the study and is also represented on the Project Steering Committee and Technical Advisory Group."

He expected the study to be completed by May or June.

"The State Government is responsible for public transport planning though the Department of Transport and Main Roads," he said.

"It recently engaged urban consultancy firm AECOM to undertake the planning and feasibility of implementing a Bus Rapid Transit system between Ripley and Brassall via Ipswich city centre as part of a staging option until the Ipswich to Ripley rail line is constructed in the longer term.

"This investigation forms part of a larger study which will also be designing each station along the Ipswich to Springfield Public Transport Corridor."

[mufreight]

The immediate need in Ipswich is for a rescheduling of bus services with the following key points to be addressed.
Sufficent fat to be allowed in the running times to enable services to operate on time.
Co ordination of services between the bus services themselves and also with rail.
Restructuring of the routes especially those operating past the Riverlink shopping complex.
Services to start earlier in the mornings and to operate later during the evening, last services on routes at 6.15pm or 6.45pm mean that people will not use a bus to go somewhere if they then have no means or getting home, services should operate at least to 9pm in a city the size of Ipswich.
Service frequencies should be on a minimum of 30 minutes not with gaps in excess of 60 minutes that do not connect with other services.
Obviously this is a task that is beyond the capabilities of Translink to co-ordinate and would be better left to the operators to schedule.

[STB]

Lets be a little fair on this one,
1. Westside can only operate the services that they are contracted to Translink to operate

That is correct.  Although some operators do do their own little operations, such as shopper only for the retirement villages.

2. Translink sets the timetables which are impossibly tight and with the passing of time and increasing traffic are becoming even more unrealistic.

Negative.  I know for a fact that Westiside has up to this point done their own timetables, much to TL's frustration with them using an old model of one bus for 3 routes with little turnaround time.  The previous management there in the old days hated buses that idled, in the previous management of Westside, a good bus was a bus that was moving, hence the tight timetabling.  Plus there was resistance between the operator and TL, with the operator insisting to do the timetable, rather than TL.  The next round of timetables has been done by TransLink, with input by Westside.

3. Timetables, which timetable does one believe?
    (a) The Translink printed timetable
    (b)  The Translink timetables posted at the bus stops
    (c)  The Timetable that Translink provides through its call centre, or
    (d)  The operating timetable obtained through Translink that is posted on the Westside website.
They are all different, something that the Minister can verify in a matter of minutes before making misleading and inaccurate media statements attempting to shift the blame for the disfunctional system that is Translink, some honesty in holding those actually responsible for the failures of public transport in her own electorate would be a positive.
Translink advised a number of those who made comment or complaint over two years ago that some routes such as the 504 and 505 would be rerouted through the Riverlink shopping centre at the next timetable change whic occoured in the November of 2007, still has not happened.
Translink also at that time said that it would co-ordinate the bus services with the rail for commuters, this still has not happened.
Perhaps the Minister should disolve Translink and pass the role of co-ordination of services back to Queensland Transport, the money saved could then be used for the actual provision of services instead of paying a flawed, failed and non performing bureaucracy that it seems presently is not accountable for its failures.

This is beginning to happen now, next round of changes, some might be impressed.  With Nth Ipswich routes completely redone from scratch, reaching into new areas and some new services and routes too.  All subject to funding of course.

[mufreight]

Sorry STB but must disagree quite strongly with you on this one.
In contact that I had with both Translink and Westside Bus with regard to timetableing, co-ordination and routes dating from June 2007 Translink has been in full control of the timetabling.
Having the benefit of extensive experience with both operating and scheduling of bus services I question as to how realistic schedules can be compiled when Translink did their surveys of the routes by car and off peak, definately no way to obtain realistic running times for a bus service.
Westside has having their staff on the receiving end of the passenger complaints been endeavoring to have realistic timetables scheduled with considerable opposition from the bean counters at Translink.
I recently checked the timetable for a 505 service into Ipswich, the time given by Translink quick info was 10.30 am. the time given on the Translink printed and published timetable for the same stop was 10.38, on ringing Translink while waiting at the bus stop I was informed that the timetabled time for the service was 10.32, the bus turned up at 10.51.
Three different times all originating from Translink sources in less than 30 minutes.
In July of 2007 in conversation with the then senior officer at Translink responsible for timetabeing and routes I was advised that the 504 Brasall and 505 Tivoli routes would be changed at the next timetabling change which was supposedly going to take place in November of that year that those services would be re routed through the Riverlink shopping centre bus station, this still has not happened despite the numbers of older or disable passengers who rely on public transport who are presently faced with an 920 metre walk between the the bus and Riverlink for those using the 505 service and a 800 plus metre hike for passengers using the 504 route services, there are neither seats or shelter at either stop.

Westside has made the effort to provide service, It has without question been Translink working on the basis of trying to do it on the cheap in a manner of absolute incompetence that would see any private operator out of business in weeks that is the root cause of the problem and it would seem that the solution lies in a total restructure of Transkink or its abolution and replacement with a functional office possibly as a division of Queensland Transport that is competent to oversea the provision of public transport in a competent and practical manner.

Quote
2. Translink sets the timetables which are impossibly tight and with the passing of time and increasing traffic are becoming even more unrealistic.
Negative.  I know for a fact that Westiside has up to this point done their own timetables, much to TL's frustration with them using an old model of one bus for 3 routes with little turnaround time.  The previous management there in the old days hated buses that idled, in the previous management of Westside, a good bus was a bus that was moving, hence the tight timetabling.  Plus there was resistance between the operator and TL, with the operator insisting to do the timetable, rather than TL.  The next round of timetables has been done by TransLink, with input by Westside.

[STB]

You are quite right, routes 504 and 505 are meant to change, hopefully sooner rather than later, it's been in funding hell though and has therefore unable to be put in so far.  In fact like I mentioned, the entire Northern Ipswich area has been reviewed and new timetables developed (additional time has been put in). With all routes passing Riverlink to be redirected into Riverlink.

The current timetables are old timetables hanging on from when Westside did them, TransLink did not do those current timetables!!!  I know that for absolute fact!  All TransLink did back in the years past was to inform Westside of dodgy connections and to correct them.

Since the new management has taken over, they've had to not only rehaul their internal processes, but also allow TransLink to develop the timetables, with all routes affected to be re-timed.  Previously the old management of Westside did the timing in a ute, this time it's with a bus.

There is much more to it, and it's probably best not to go into it on a public forum and some stuff I cannot mention due to privacy reasons.  If you wish to ask further, PM me.

[dwb]

Maybe Veolia could buy them out? Or simply get the contract for their routes!