Public Transport Queensland - An Independent Transport Authority

[ozbob]

It is clear that the present administration of public and active transport in Queensland is a fragmented mess to put it mildly.

TransLink a division of TMR (TransLink - once a statutory authority) seems to lack the resources and authority to do a great deal.  Brisbane bus network reform and improvement remains  in limbo captured by politics in essence. Clearly, TransLink is unable to sort this, and as a consequence all bus regions are suffering.

Even simple things like reporting of OTP, inconsistency in mapping and ticketing are a fragmented mess.  We have TransLink, starting to exert a presence in Mackay, we have TransLink Cairns and the rest of urban bus still under the Q-Connect banner.

It is time we followed the lead of other states that have much better coordinated public transport administration. 

Public Transport Victoria is a good example.

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

http://ptv.vic.gov.au/about-ptv/

Public Transport Victoria

About PTV

Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is a statutory authority that manages Victoria's train, tram and bus services.

It provides a single contact point for you to gain information on public transport services, fares, tickets and initiatives.

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

Public Transport Queensland should be a statutory authority, with the power to overide BCC and fix up the public transport for Brisbane, all of SEQ, and all off Queensland.

The present farce must be addressed.

Please comment as desired.

[ozbob]

Band-aids on band-aids is not working.   Time for radical surgery!

[#Metro]

TransLink first started out as a division of TMR, then became 'independent' of TMR (though still controlled by written directive from the minister) and then back into TMR again as a division.

The question I always like to ask is "independent in what sense?" If it is controlled by directive and gov't finances then it can't really be said to be independent. The only independence is that there is an act of parliament for an Authority, and any changes to that then need to pass parliament (pretty easy in a unicameral place like QLD in contrast to Victoria which has a senate) and written down.

Brisbane Transport, the largest bus operator in QLD and perhaps 2nd largest in all of Australia, isn't incorporated or a company. It is simply a division of Brisbane City Council, to my knowledge it has no separate legal identity from BCC.

Legislation of an authority might give more insurance against change / 'whim' decisions because changes would have to be legislated, but politicians will likely retain control of it through written directive compliance.

The main things that to have legislated are the fare-setting process, so that it takes enough time in due process to act as a deterrent for use in a cheap pre-election votebait. The other thing that needs to happen is the the Brisbane area is broken up into contract areas and contracted out. BCC has a monopoly on buses, and for its 25% contribution has got 75% of the power to decide what happens to the bus system. We know this because the Zillmere-UQ rocket bus exists.

There is no alternative bus operator to go to if it doesn't meet the standards, and indeed it isn't meeting the standards even now.

[Stillwater]

^ If there are changed administrative arrangements, the BCC bus and ferry fleet does not 'disappear'.  There would be a transfer cost to any new entity, involving a funds transfer from state coffers, or some other arrangement involving the private sector.

[mufreight]

If it replaces Translink and TMR

[ozbob]

If it replaces Translink and TMR

Yes.  It would take over all public and active transport functions presently being carried out by TransLink and TMR. Exactly as PTV does.

[#Metro]

I think there should be KISS. Transfer ferries etc to the Queensland Government.

The ferry is private but that is contracted from BCC (who I assume is recontracted to TransLink).

BCC got the South Bank Parklands and Roma Street Parklands, and the Queensland Gov't got in return??

Yes.  It would take over all public and active transport functions presently being carried out by TransLink and TMR. Exactly as PTV does.

What about rail assets and land? It would be more like the Perth model then.

[ozbob]

I wouldn't get too concerned with fine detail at this point. 

I am just interested in the notion of establishing a true statutory authority to sort it all out.

[ozbob]

Public Transport Authority (WA)

http://www.pta.wa.gov.au/about-us/overview

The Public Transport Authority (PTA) is responsible for the following transport services:

    Rail, bus and ferry services in the metropolitan area (Transperth)
    Public transport services in regional centres
    Coach and rail passenger services to regional areas (Transwa)
    School bus services
    Designing, building and maintaining transport infrastructure.

The PTA was established in July 2003, bringing  together Transperth, School Bus Services and local regional bus services (all previously operating under the Department of Planning and Infrastructure) and WA Government Railways (a separate entity).

The PTA was created to clarify the function of the Department of Planning and Infrastructure as a land-and-transport planning authority, while consolidating the responsibility for delivery of public transport with the PTA.

The PTA's vision is to increase the use of public transport through the provision of customer-focussed, safe and cost-effective passenger transport services.

[ozbob]

There is a real conflict in Queensland.

TMR Transport & Main Roads is not a champion for rail or public transport in my view.  They are heavily biased to roads, most of the staff is connected with roads.  That is fine but if public and active transport in Queensland is ever going to improve it needs its own authority that will properly champion public and active transport.  And administer in a coherent fashion.

The fact that Brisbane bus network is still in same mess it was in 2013 is proof enough.  TransLink has no authority.  It seems to be very under-resourced. 

[aldonius]

What is it that requires a new authority to replace TransLink? What is it about this new authority that would ensure they get appropriate resources and authority where TransLink has not?

[ozbob]

TransLink is just a division of TMR.  A statutory authority, depending on the enacting legislation is more independent and can more effectively carry out the role.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statutory_authority

Rationale

The Parliament of Australia, or a constituent State Parliament, will delegate its Authority to a statutory authority for several reasons;

    Efficiency - State and Federal Parliaments do not have the time nor resources to investigate, analyse, draft, enact and monitor laws for every area of our increasingly complex society. By delegation of legislative power to a statutory authority, a specialist body may subrogate parliament and use its authority in a more efficient manner
    Bipartisanship - Statutory authorities are usually responsible for areas of legislation where there is a common goal or direction desirable within the community. Delegation of authority away from parliament prevents these areas of law from becoming partisan issues.
    Transparency - The disclosure requirements placed upon statutory authorities are generally stricter than that of State and Federal Parliaments; statutory authorities cannot rely upon the same government secrets provisions as can State and Federal governments.
    Accountability - The jurisdiction of a statutory authority is expressly set out in its corresponding act (i.e. the Act of Parliament which created the statutory authority). This, therefore, makes switching, sharing or evasion of responsibility in the instance of a scandal more difficult for officers of the statutory authority.

Statutory Authorities in Australia

The power to enact legislation has been delegated by Australian Parliaments (State and/or Federal) in the following areas;

    Consumer affairs - Where authority is delegated to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
    Road and traffic safety - Where authority is delegated to various bodies by state, for example, VicRoads in Victoria
    Public transport - Where authority is delegated to various bodies by state, for example, Public Transport Authority in Western Australia.
    Collection of taxes - Where authority is delegated to the Australian Taxation Office
    Corporate law - Where authority is delegated to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission
    Prudential regulation - Where authority is delegated to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority
    Monetary Policy - Where authority is delegated to the Reserve Bank of Australia established by an Act of Parliament, the Reserve Bank Act 1959, which gives it specific powers and obligations.
    Workplace Health and Safety - Where authority is delegated to Safe Work Australia and to various bodies by state, for example, WorkSafe in Victoria and subsidiaries such as the Accident Compensation Conciliation Service
    Communications and Media - For example, ACMA is responsible for the regulation of broadcasting, the internet, radiocommunications and telecommunications.

[ozbob]

One of the present problems is TransLink is a partisan agency in effect.

[#Metro]

What is it that requires a new authority to replace TransLink? What is it about this new authority that would ensure they get appropriate resources and authority where TransLink has not?

Well, I'm not against it but it does have an element of 'rearranging the deck chairs'. The main block to bus reforms is BCC and the monopoly contract structure - when TransLink was an authority, they didn't do a bus review into BCC or overrule it either. I speculate that doing so would have resulted in BCC threatening to pull 25% of its funding out, and at that point the agency would be faced with losing 25% of its finances. The minister would surely intervene by written directive at that point.

It is also worth noting that the bus review (or at least a partially completed one) and fare review were performed after TransLink had become a division of TMR. Now, unless a fare-setting process and review requirement is set into law (I doubt that gov't would hand over that much power) then is there that much difference?

Perhaps one advantage though is that the head of the organisation isn't a politician. When Scott Emerson (Blue Team) was at the controls, he handed the bus review to Brisbane City Council. Much of the actions there were reactive - I don't think an authority would have decided to hand over a review to its operators, because they don't need to run in an election.

A departmental structure means that policy changes can be made without having to go through parliament to change acts. On the other hand, a minister can simply write a directive and force the authority to do or not do an action. The previous TransLink Transit Authority had such a provision inserted into it.

So, no strong feelings either way. Auckland Council (NZ) runs things through a "council controlled entity" called Auckland Transport. I think two politicians are on the board and the rest are from the private sector. It was set up like that because the national gov't didn't trust Auckland Council to do things directly.

Converting TransLink to an authority may be worthwhile, but it won't solve the BCC bus issues. Only de-monopolisation by creating contract areas, public contestability, and full bus reform studies will do that. We have a known success model from the fare review that can easily be repurposed to do bus reform with a few tweaks.

[ozbob]

As part of the enabling legislation for PTQ it simply needs to be given the authority to properly set up the Brisbane bus network, along with the rest.

Other states use the statutory authority model to great effect.  No brainer ..

[ozbob]

One thing is pretty bloody clear.  THE PRESENT FUKUP IS NOT WORKING!

Doing the same thing is not going to work with the clowns on George. 

Time to get real troops.

[#Metro]

As part of the enabling legislation for PTQ it simply needs to be given the authority to properly set up the Brisbane bus network, along with the rest.

It needs the power to competitively contract out services to operators. The current situation is a monopoly in Brisbane and elsewhere it is like a closed shop. It is like forcing people to always buy from woolies, and never Aldi or Coles.

[ozbob]

I am sure an authority properly set up could do that.  The present mess cannot be allowed to continue can it?

[James]

Yes, it'd be nice to see TransLink getting more independence, but the real issue is BT.

The State Government needs to legislate to remove Brisbane City Council's control of Brisbane Transport.

All problems lead back to this. Rail network is underutilised - why? Lack of feeder buses thanks too... BCC! Why are bus services so poor outside of Brisbane? All the funds are being used by... BCC! Why is congestion so high? Lack of new BUZ services thanks to the direct services network run by... BCC! Until control of BT by BCC is relinquished, we are going to be stuck with the same problems we have now. BCC, in terms of PT in SEQ, is in blunt terms, the root of all evil. Brisbane as a city is not going to progress until BCC has its responsibility for public transport removed. Given the current government's appetite for change, I don't see this happening any time soon.

[#Metro]

Until control of BT by BCC is relinquished, we are going to be stuck with the same problems we have now. BCC, in terms of PT in SEQ, is in blunt terms, the root of all evil.

Quite right. TransLink came into being 12 years ago. Peter Beattie's idea was that it would be responsible for the network planning aspects, with the day to day operations being left to bus contractors. It was a division of TMR, then it was an Authority, a few more chairs were moved around, then it was back to being a division. So we do have the experience of what TransLink behaviour would be like as an independant authority already - and they didn't change the bus network then either.

12 years on, who has de facto control over the Brisbane bus network? Is it TransLink or is it BCC?

Also, I am not aware of a single case where a BCC bus route change was ever rejected by TransLink. EVER.

Even the ridiculous P332 Zillmere to UQ Rocket, preposterous proposal, got the tick of approval from TransLink.

[ozbob]

TransLink is a puppet sadly.   This is why we need to sort it all out once for all.

It will be difficult, but clearly the present mess is not helping anyone in the end.

From little things big things grow.

Thanks to all who have ' voted ' so far.  A resounding vote of confidence in the present state of ' no-confidence ' .. 

Onwards!

[#Metro]

I think PTQ can be set up, but further detail needs to be put on the proposal.

Some thoughts:

1. Power to competitively contract out services to operators. The current situation is a monopoly in Brisbane, and in other areas, it is a patronage system (!). Contracts should be awarded on merit and past performance.

2. Legislated fare setting and alteration process.
This could include publication of a multi-year (4-year) fare path timed so that elections fall in the middle of the fare path, giving some measure of protection from crass vote-buying.

3. Legislated network wide bus review every X years. (Suggested - whole of network review every 10 years or earlier)

There could be others, post suggestions to this thread.

[ozbob]

Bit of history.  When it really went off the rails ...

27 July 2012

Brisbanetimes --> Restructure could bring TransLink back to the fold

An announcement expected today on the new structure of Department of Transport and Main Roads has been delayed because of last-minute, top-level talks over the future of public transport organisation, TransLink.

While the government denied a decision had been made, two senior sources have told this website TransLink, currently a stand-alone public transport organisation, would be absorbed within Queensland Transport's passenger services division.

The number of general managers in the department is tipped to drop from 21 to 12, while talks this week for a 13th general manager – to manage TransLink – are being strongly canvassed.

TransLink was formed in 2003, originally as part of the department, to co-ordinate trains, buses and ferries.

Then-transport minister John Mickel separated TransLink from the state government in July 2008, so it could independently assess routes and finance.

A spokesman for Transport Minister Scott Emerson insisted the idea, which had been canvassed a month ago, remained only one model being considered.

"Another is that Passenger Services goes to TransLink. No decision has been made," he said.

The DTMR and the Department of Housing and Public Works are the first two departments being reviewed by the Newman government's Public Sector Renewal Board.

Minister Assisting the Premier on public sector reform, Glen Elmes, said the review would take three months.

He said the PSRB, which had so far met twice, would now meet monthly and make its final review after 12 months.

"The role of the board is to oversee each agency's efficiency reviews and to examine what agencies do and how efficiently and effectively they do it," he said.

"They will provide recommendations to cabinet on what can be improved or discontinued." ...

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

28th July 2016

Time to get fair-dinkum about public transport in Queensland

Good Morning,

We have reached a critical  point in the future of public transport in SEQ and Queensland generally.

The Council of Mayors (SEQ) have said  " work is need to improve transport and regional connectivity in SEQ regardless of any Olympic bid " [1]

We agree. There are many issues, the fundamental issue being a lack of a proper public transport authority and competition between all levels of Government with crass politics usually trumping sound and rational policy.

TransLink is now a division of Transport and Main Roads, without the authority or the resources to sort out the festering mess which is now public transport in Brisbane and SEQ particularly.

The failure of the Brisbane bus network reform process in 2013 is a real example of how backward we have become.  There is a real lack of overall integration, there is direct competition between modes, much duplication, waste and inefficiency.

We need to start sorting it out.  Rapid regional rail between Brisbane and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts is just another pipe-dream.  Unless Cross River Rail is done, and the North West Transport Corridor activated for rail it will never happen.  This is Queensland, the state of transport failure.

It is clear that the present administration of public and active transport in Queensland is a fragmented mess to put it mildly.

TransLink a division of TMR (TransLink - once a statutory authority) seems to lack the resources and authority to do a great deal.  Brisbane bus network reform and improvement remains  in limbo captured by politics in essence. Clearly, TransLink is unable to sort this, and as a consequence all bus regions are suffering.

Even simple things like reporting of OTP, inconsistency in mapping and ticketing are a fragmented mess.  We have TransLink, starting to exert a presence in Mackay, we have TransLink Cairns and the rest of urban bus still under the Q-Connect banner. Brisbane City Council runs rough shod over sound network planning and as a consequence all of SEQ is suffering.

It is time we followed the lead of other states that have much better coordinated public transport administration.

We call for the formation of a statutory authority - Public Transport Queensland [2], to be given the authority and the resources to get on with it.

Best wishes
Robert

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


1.  https://twitter.com/SEQMayors/status/758145825750953984

2.  http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=12341.0

3.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statutory_authority

Rationale

The Parliament of Australia, or a constituent State Parliament, will delegate its Authority to a statutory authority for several reasons;

    Efficiency - State and Federal Parliaments do not have the time nor resources to investigate, analyse, draft, enact and monitor laws for every area of our increasingly complex society. By delegation of legislative power to a statutory authority, a specialist body may subrogate parliament and use its authority in a more efficient manner
    Bipartisanship - Statutory authorities are usually responsible for areas of legislation where there is a common goal or direction desirable within the community. Delegation of authority away from parliament prevents these areas of law from becoming partisan issues.
    Transparency - The disclosure requirements placed upon statutory authorities are generally stricter than that of State and Federal Parliaments; statutory authorities cannot rely upon the same government secrets provisions as can State and Federal governments.
    Accountability - The jurisdiction of a statutory authority is expressly set out in its corresponding act (i.e. the Act of Parliament which created the statutory authority). This, therefore, makes switching, sharing or evasion of responsibility in the instance of a scandal more difficult for officers of the statutory authority.

Statutory Authorities in Australia

The power to enact legislation has been delegated by Australian Parliaments (State and/or Federal) in the following areas;

    Consumer affairs - Where authority is delegated to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
    Road and traffic safety - Where authority is delegated to various bodies by state, for example, VicRoads in Victoria
    Public transport - Where authority is delegated to various bodies by state, for example, Public Transport Authority in Western Australia.
    Collection of taxes - Where authority is delegated to the Australian Taxation Office
    Corporate law - Where authority is delegated to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission
    Prudential regulation - Where authority is delegated to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority
    Monetary Policy - Where authority is delegated to the Reserve Bank of Australia established by an Act of Parliament, the Reserve Bank Act 1959, which gives it specific powers and obligations.
    Workplace Health and Safety - Where authority is delegated to Safe Work Australia and to various bodies by state, for example, WorkSafe in Victoria and subsidiaries such as the Accident Compensation Conciliation Service
    Communications and Media - For example, ACMA is responsible for the regulation of broadcasting, the internet, radiocommunications and telecommunications.

[ozbob]

Letter to the Editor Queensland Times 29th July 2016 page 11

Time now to bring in transport changes

[ozbob]

^ LETTER: Time now to bring in transport changes > http://www.qt.com.au/news/letter-time-now-to-bring-in-transport-changes/3069244/

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

30th July 2016

Letter to the Editor Queensland Times 29th July 2016 page 11

Time now to bring in transport changes

http://www.qt.com.au/news/letter-time-now-to-bring-in-transport-changes/3069244/



[ Attached: http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=12341.msg177156#msg177156 ]

[achiruel]

Is there some reason that TransLink couldn't be split off from TMR and made into a statutory authority? Just thinking of the expense of having to go through the whole rebranding exercise.

[ozbob]

Is there some reason that TransLink couldn't be split off from TMR and made into a statutory authority? Just thinking of the expense of having to go through the whole rebranding exercise.

No there isn't.  That is what it was once, however I really think we need a true authority that encapsulates what it is all about - Public Transport Queensland.  TransLink can remain as a brand of course, this the situation with WA for example, PTA - with Transperth as the local brand.

PTQ needs to drive and have the authority for public and active transport throughout Queensland.  As a division of TMR it is not working - we only have to look at the abundant evidence, needs to be removed from the road overlords!

[ozbob]

The question that needs some examination. 

Is why did the Newman Government kill TransLink as a statutory authority and make it a division of TMR?

There is a clue above [ http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=12341.msg177117#msg177117 ]

They (Newman Government) had a hidden agenda.  They really wanted absolute control to privatise.  The way they booby-trapped both MBRL and NGR projects is further evidence.

Mr Mickel outlined why TransLink was made a statutory authority in 2008 " so it could independently assess routes and finance ".

If it was good enough to do it in 2008 it is now even more compelling IMHO.

[ozbob]

For information:

http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/Id/57769

Media Statements

Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Translink Transport Authority moves forward

Transport Minister John Mickel has introduced legislation into State Parliament to establish Southeast Queensland's new integrated transport authority.

Mr Mickel said the TransLink Transit Authority will begin operating from 1 July, 2008.

"The new transit authority will be a one-stop shop for public transport services, customer service and feedback," he said.

"It will have greater control over service delivery, with the power and flexibility to improve services, convenience and reliability."

Mr Mickel said the authority featured a single point of contact for customer service and information and integrated scheduling and ticketing.

"The authority will also integrate public transport services, and deliver and manage the infrastructure on which those services operate," he said.

"It will have the freedom and power to co-ordinate services, redeploy resources such as buses based on demand, and ensure the smooth introduction of new technology across the network."

The new authority will become the one point of contact for the 17 different train, bus and ferry operators in the region.

Mr Mickel said commuters will be able to ring the 13 12 30 information number 24 hours a day, seven days a week, always with the option of communicating with a person, rather than a recorded message.

"A single transport authority will prove invaluable in tackling the challenges facing transport planners and government, such as traffic congestion and climate change."

The Minister said the State Government had investigated national and international transport authority structures to find the model best suited to Southeast Queensland.

The TransLink Transit Authority will be a statutory body with seven board members, including the chief executive officer of Queensland Transport.

It will also include a non-elected representative from at least one local government that substantially funds passenger transport services.

Other board members will represent consumer and employee interests, transport co-ordination and planning, law, accounting, economics, social policy, customer relations, and commercial and marketing development.

Mr Mickel said the Authority would build on the success of TransLink, which had seen public transport patronage increase by more than 30 per cent since it was formed in 2004.

"Trips have increased from 119 million a year to more than 160 million a year," he said.

"We will now have an authority with the grunt to ensure scheduling, services and planning are synchronised to deliver the public transport our growing population needs.

[ozbob]

With the advantage of the ' retrospectroscope ' I think the mistake made in 2008 when TTA (TransLink Transport Authority) was set up was that it only covered SEQ.  Urban bus was under  Q-connect (TMR) and still is with the exception of Cairns/Mackay (sort of).  So there are a lot of inconsistencies between TransLink and Q-connect.

This fractured administration of public transport in Queensland made it easier to scrap the TTA and move it back under TMR control.

PTQ - Public Transport Queensland means what it says.  No more different policies administrations etc.

During estimates I did note Minister Hinchliffe mentioning next generation ticketing and how that will impact on urban bus (Mackay particularly).

We need one public transport authority for Queensland.

[ozbob]

So ....

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

31st July 2016

Public Transport Queensland

Good Morning,

On Tuesday 29 April 2008 the then Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations The Honourable John Mickel put out a media statement.

Translink Transport Authority moves forward  > http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/Id/57769

This statement announced the formation of the Statutory Authority - TransLink Transport Authority (TTA) for SEQ.

Mr Mickel said  "The authority will also integrate public transport services, and deliver and manage the infrastructure on which those services operate," he said.

"It will have the freedom and power to co-ordinate services, redeploy resources such as buses based on demand, and ensure the smooth introduction of new technology across the network."

"We will now have an authority with the grunt to ensure scheduling, services and planning are synchronised to deliver the public transport our growing population needs. "

In 2012, as part of the former Newman Government control and 'cuts' agenda the TTA was absorbed into TMR.  It lost its authority, as evidenced by the subsequent failure in 2013 of the Brisbane bus network reform. It lost resources to do the job properly.

With the benefit of hindsight, it would have been a better outcome for SEQ and Queensland had the formation of the TTA in 2008 actually been for all of Queensland's public transport.  Having a fragmented public transport administration actually helped enable the flawed move to absorb the then TTA back into TMR as a division, with the now perverse outcomes we see.

If it was good enough and for the right reasons in 2008 to form a statutory authority,  it is now even more critical that we move on with a public transport statutory authority to properly administer public transport for all of Queensland.  The present fragmented administration of public transport is a failure, clearly.

Best wishes
Robert

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

Reference:

27 July 2012 Brisbanetimes --> Restructure could bring TransLink back to the fold

[ Attached: http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=12341.msg177269#msg177269  ]

[ozbob]

Latest media: ' Public Transport Queensland '
> https://t.co/GLD9FsAQE7#qldpol@QLDLabor @LNPQLD @QldGreens pic.twitter.com/QX5vsMcWsT

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) July 30, 2016

[ozbob]

" Public Transport Queensland "
> https://t.co/GLD9FsAQE7#qldpol@QLDLabor @LNPQLD @QldGreens @AnnastaciaMP pic.twitter.com/b37lgFP1Rn

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) July 31, 2016

[#Metro]

If we are going to have PTQ (Can retain TL as a brand) then the whole thing needs to be bolted to the floor to stop politicians screwing it up again.

Specifically, the fare setting and zone boundaries need a mandatory legislative process, with another agency (QLD Productivity Commission) providing an advisory (i.e. non-binding) report.

There also needs to be mandated statutory bus network reviews programmed in. For example, a maximum of 8 years before a whole of network review is triggered.

[ozbob]

Poll closes shortly.  Thanks for your responses.  You all deserve a 

[SurfRail]

There also needs to be mandated statutory bus network reviews programmed in. For example, a maximum of 8 years before a whole of network review is triggered.

I think that's probably too long a timeframe TBH.  Canberra can do it annually.  We should be able to do full structural reviews for at least 2 outer network regions at a time over 5 years, with basic adjustments one or more times each year.  That would cover inner Brisbane if divided into 4, the 4 outer metropolitan regions, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast.

There also needs to be a focus on ensuring each regional town system is put through the same process regularly.

[mufreight]

The support and the need for a PTQ is there, a key prerequisite is that it be entirely divorced from any connection with or control by TMR if it is to be able to effectively provide the public transport needs for Queensland.