Public Transport Performance

[ozbob]

Victorian Auditor'-General Office  Public Transport Performance

--> http://www.audit.vic.gov.au/reports_and_publications/latest_reports/2011-12/20120229-public-transport.aspx

This audit examined the performance of public bus, tram and train services across Victoria.

The Department of Transport was not prepared for the rapid growth in public transport patronage between 2004 and 2009. It did not have the capability to foresee this growth or fully understand the root causes of poor performance. It was therefore unable to effectively deal with the performance pressures.

Satisfaction for all public transport modes has deteriorated over the past decade, and performance has mostly fallen short of government targets in the past five years. The decline was greatest for metropolitan trains.

The response to this decline was partial and uncoordinated. Over this time the department managed public transport as separate modes of travel rather than as an integrated system.

From 2008 the department started to turn this stiuation around. It now has a good understanding of performance issues and has developed an effective planning framework. This is a good basis for action but there is more to do. We identified:

    outstanding weaknesses in how performance is measured and reported
    objectives in the Transport Integration  Act that are not measured or managed
    partial application of the department's improved planning approach
    a need to better incorporate performance outcomes into planning.

The future challenges are significant. We estimate that capital expenditure on public transport will have to triple over the next decade to cope with the expected growth. The department needs to benchmark the costs of operating public transport and devise a long-term plan to improve efficiency.

[ozbob]

Channel 10  Transport Burden

-->

fast funding?  join the club ..

[#Metro]

Geez... they are overflowing with pax and still the farebox is at 30%!
Same goes for Sydney!

The TTC's revenue/cost ratio continues to run well above that of other cities and for 2011 will be about 70%.  Farebox revenue for 2011 is budgeted to rise by about $53.5-million relative to the 2010 budget which underestimated ridership.  Actual farebox revenue for 2010 is expected to be $40m above budget and, therefore, almost 80% of the jump for 2011 is attributable to strong ridership in 2010.

http://stevemunro.ca/?p=4819

[SurfRail]

Which proves to me that the biggest cost issues have nothing to do with urban density or the other excuses that get trotted out, but everything to do with mismanagement and misallocation.

Canadian systems are exposed to a considerably greater amount of scrutiny than any of ours (even the PTA-WA).  Time to let in some light to expose all the rubbish that goes on.

[Gazza]

SurfRail, did you have a source citing the 38% farebox  the WA PTA gets?

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

Public transport needs billions

Public transport needs billions
Adam Carey
March 1, 2012

PUBLIC transport in Victoria has been dragged down by years of poor management and planning, and needs an annual injection of $3 billion if it is to cope with growing demand, according to a report by state Auditor-General Des Pearson.

The report, tabled in State Parliament yesterday, found that public satisfaction with trains, trams and buses has declined in the past decade, and that all modes of public transport have regularly failed to meet government performance standards. The worst decline in satisfaction was for Melbourne's trains, the report found.

Mr Pearson said the Transport Department had, before recent improvement, failed for years to ''effectively manage the rapid growth in public transport patronage that happened between 2004 and 2009 [and] did not have the capability to foresee this growth or fully understand the root causes of poor performance''.

The department's response to the declining performance of Melbourne trains was ''partial and uncoordinated'', he wrote.

There had also been a lack of co-ordination between transport modes, and a failure by the department to measure how the system served passengers who relied on more than one mode. ''This has been a significant blind spot over the past decade which the department is now addressing,'' the report said.

It found the public transport network had become more expensive to run in recent years, costing $2.22 billion last financial year, only 30 per cent of which was recouped in fares. The annual government subsidy paid to private companies has leapt in the past five years from $950 million to $1.56 billion.

''The major challenge facing government is how to cost-effectively respond to the expected growth in patronage while, at the same time, improving performance,'' Mr Pearson wrote.

It is expected that demand for public transport will grow by about 70 per cent in the next decade. The Transport Department estimates it needs $30 billion for new infrastructure such as tracks and trains to cope - which would require a tripling of today's capital spending.

Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said the Baillieu government had a number of proposed projects to meet forecast growth, including a Melbourne Airport rail link and a rail tunnel from North Melbourne to South Kensington, but was dependent on Commonwealth funds to achieve them. ''Obviously we're going to have to invest in major projects but we need support from the federal government,'' he said.

Mr Mulder backed Transport Department staff who oversaw the network's declining performance last decade, saying the previous state government was responsible for the failures. ''You can't turn around and lay the blame at the feet of the bureaucracy,'' he said.

But the opposition said Mr Mulder's claim in Parliament last year that he had fixed public transport in just 11 months had come back to bite him, with the Auditor-General's report identifying many ongoing shortcomings. "If he actually talked to commuters he would realise the system is overcrowded on a daily basis and cancellations and significant delays continue to frustrate commuters," Labor public transport spokeswoman Fiona Richardson said.

RMIT planning expert Paul Mees said the report proved the public had been let down by transport operators and government planners. ''There has been an enormous increase in subsidies in the last decade, and also a significant increase in fares,'' Dr Mees said. ''Now, the community is entitled to expect that things would be better as a result of that increased expenditure.''

Dr Mees rejected the notion that the system could only be fixed by spending billions of dollars.

''It is possible to run a rail system where everything is not brand new provided that you have really pro-active inspection, repair and replacement regimes,'' he said.

The report also found buses were poorly co-ordinated with trains and their performance was inadequately monitored.

''Users tell us that buses are unreliable and they're worried about it, and we're not monitoring it,'' said Monash University public transport expert Graham Currie. ''Now the Auditor-General's saying there's positive signs of improvement, but I reckon it'll be a long time off.''

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/public-transport-needs-billions-20120229-1u3ji.html

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Passenger spike signals transport train wreck dead ahead

Passenger spike signals transport train wreck dead ahead

    by: Ashley Gardiner
    From: Herald Sun
    March 01, 2012 12:00AM

AT least $30 billion needs to be spent on public transport to keep pace with an explosion of passenger numbers in the next 10 years.

But a scathing report finds the Department of Transport is not ready to deal with the rapid growth in commuters.

Auditor-General Des Pearson said public satisfaction had declined since 2002, and train passengers were the angriest.

Mr Pearson said the Government would need to triple its investment in transport projects to $3 billion a year for the next decade to cope with growing demand.

"Patronage growth is likely to increase overcrowding and, if not well managed, leave more passengers who cannot board a crowded train or tram," Mr Pearson said.

Taxpayers subsidise 70 per cent of the cost of public transport, with fares covering only 30 per cent.

During 2010-11, the cost of running public transport was $2.2 billion.

The Baillieu Government is developing a transport plan as part of its Metropolitan Planning Strategy, to be released next year. Work on the new city train plan was most advanced, Mr Pearson said.

Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said help from Canberra would be needed to pay for new projects.

Planning work had started on rail links to Doncaster and Rowville, a new underground tunnel through the city and the airport, he said.

But no money had been allocated to do the work.

"I expect that in excess of $2 billion will be invested in public transport in each of the next two financial years," Mr Mulder said.

"This is prior to any future Budget decisions that the Coalition Government may make about forthcoming transport projects."

Opposition public transport spokeswoman Fiona Richardson said the report slammed the Government for under-investment.

"This year's Budget will have to play catch-up given the lack of investment in last year's Budget," Ms Richardson said.

[SurfRail]

SurfRail, did you have a source citing the 38% farebox  the WA PTA gets?

I remember it being in something Chris Hale presented, but I don't have my fingers on it.

[#Metro]

The TTC Toronto costs CAD $482,575,000 per year to run (operating subsidy).... major cost difference....
Notes to consolidated financial statements, p10

http://ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Annual_reports.jsp
http://ttc.ca/PDF/About_the_TTC/TTC_Annual_Report_2010.pdf

[somebody]

I didn't think Perth was quite that good to be honest.  Last I heard it had a 2 in front of it but was rising.