Independent commission of audit

[ozbob]

Twitter

McWhirters Project ‏@McWhirtersProj 32m

@Robert_Dow published in The Courier Mail, April 30, 1946 #themorethingschange http://t.co/OuXrifbpEx

[ozbob]

Interview on 612 ABC Brisbane Breakfast with Spencer Howson this morning with the Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Scott Emerson, followed by yours truly on PT ICA outcomes.

Hopefully be up later today on the blog.

Thanks for the interest 612!

612 ABC Brisbane Breakfast with Spencer Howson

--> here!

Costello Audit and public transport - contestable train and bus services

01 May 2013 , 9:05 AM by Spencer Howson

The State Government says plans to use recommendationsin the Costello audit to reduce Queensland's debt and eventually regain its AAA credit rating.

Major asset sales may be off the table, but outsourcing services is still very much part of the plan.

Urban public transport will be opened up to "full contestability", and competitive tendering will be introduced for rail and bus services.

So how will this affect you and the way you get around our city and state? Scott Emerson is the Minister for Transport and Main Roads and Robert Dow is from Rail Back On Track - a web based community support group for rail and public transport users.

[ozbob]

ABC News --> Government passes laws to outsource Qld rail services

[ozbob]

ABC News --> MP backs Townsville Port Authority taking over freight line

[somebody]

ABC News --> Government passes laws to outsource Qld rail services

I expect better from ABC.  This doesn't allow outsourcing rail services.  Perhaps services to Qld rail, but that could always be done.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Audit creates more uncertainty for bus users

Bit of grief on the blog at BT ...   

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Peter Costello says Newman Government will miss out on 'big bang' opportunities by shelving some reforms

[ozbob]

RN Breakfast --> Costello report calls for outsourcing of Qld services

[johnnigh]

Heaven help us if it's Abbott as well as Costello by Sept 15!

John Quiggin's comments on Costello are well worth reading, along with his readers' comments:

http://johnquiggin.com/2013/05/01/costello-report-first-look/

He doesn't think too much of the much admired Treasurer who never had to make a hard decision while in government.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Why Queensland didn't need to sell the family farm

[red dragin]

I'm going to give the politicians more credit than is possibly due, but here goes.

• Did the Newman government roll over easily on the Translink review, to allow BT/BCC to continue to run their inefficient network, knowing the true contents of this report well before it was published.
• BT/BCC think they win, half arse their review and continue to be wasteful.
• Contestability then is *suddenly* the recommendation of this report, BT/BCC is so wasteful and lost that they cannot compete against against a private operator.
• CanDig then gets up "Look Queenslanders, I've saved you heaps of money and gotten better transport for you as well, arent I great, re-elect me".

Just a thought I have been going over for the past few days.

[#Metro]

^ Highly doubtful because remember when the initial report came out it went on and on and on about QR, inefficiency, blah blah, but there was no mention of BT...

RAILBOT then sent out a media release regarding this, and they must have noticed that.

[techblitz]

Brisbanetimes --> Audit creates more uncertainty for bus users

Bit of grief on the blog at BT ...   

and a nice little spamfest from rbot members   

[BrizCommuter]

http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/public-vs-privatisation.html
A comparison of Melbourne's privatised rail system vs Brisbane's publicly owned rail system.

[techblitz]

From the Courier Mail/Mx click here!

Brisbane commuters warned that any privatisation of the City Rail network would bring 'daily grief'

COMMUTERS have been warned to brace for "daily grief" if the state privatises the city's rail network, mX reports.

While Treasurer Tim Nicholls cited Melbourne's Metro Trains as the best example of a privately run network, transport advocates in Victoria warned privatisation led to fare increases and reduced reliability.

Mr Nicholls announced yesterday he had accepted a recommendation from the long-awaited Commission of Audit report to open public transport to competitive tendering.

Nicholls told ABC radio today that Melbourne's privatised tram network had seen improvements in "on-time running and cleanliness of carriages and other sorts of things".

"In the first instance, what we'd like to see is Queensland Rail be the best it can and continue to deliver those services," he said.



"If we think there are improvements, let's test that by going to the market and saying: 'What can you deliver'? "

His comments come after almost a week of commuter chaos on Melbourne's city train network where maintenance works led to cancellations and lengthy delays.

Melbourne's Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton said privatising rail hadn't been cheaper or more innovative, with fares rising twice as fast as inflation since 1999.

Morton said the "privatisation experiment" in Melbourne caused fares to skyrocket above the CPI, with prices rising 20 per cent in two years.

He said Brisbane commuters "ain't seen nothing yet" when it came to fares.

"We have fundamental problems with the standard of maintenance and reliability on the system, which is giving us almost daily grief," he said.

The Rail Tram and Bus Union's David Matters said Brisbane shouldn't follow Melbourne's lead, warning private operators would "come in and loot the place".

A 2007 report on the first eight years of Melbourne's privatisation found over-crowding issues after a rise in patronage. But it also found there were no substantial savings.

Transport Minister Scott Emerson said any changes would be about trying to drive down ticket prices.

[Old Northern Road]

I'm neither for nor against privatisation but people believing that it will automatically lead to improved services are very much mistaken. Look at what happened to New Zealand's rail network after it was privatised. Until recently trains didn't even run on Sundays. Not to mention the disgraceful privatively run bus companies in Brisbane. People living in Brisbane City Council need to pray that companies like Hornibrook and Thompson aren't allowed to operate their buses.

[minbrisbane]

That's a joke, right?

[#Metro]

How you manage things and design things really really really matters.

For example, Sydney's CityRail is a mess. It's Public and Rail.

Toronto's TTC is also public, but it is managed beautifully, excellent frequency, connectivity, cheap fares, excellent cost recovery. It's public. The same can be said of Perth. Well managed there.

Hong Kong MTR is private. It is managed beautifully, excellent frequency, connectivity, cheap fares, excellent cost recovery.
Melbourne's MTR I think is OK, it has pushed hard for frequency which it has got. Trains every 10 minutes on weekends on some lines in both directions. Two timetable reviews per year. Compare this to QR where the timetable review has been missing in action for what, over a year now with no explanation.

Grenda's/Ventura operate identical buses to those used at Brisbane Transport. Low floor, airconditioned etc.
I remember back in 2004, I'd catch something I'd call 'The Box' a Brisbane Transport rusted 1980s "box on wheels" where there was a space for a shopping trolley in the middle of the bus, no aircon, 1970s ugly brown seats high floor, diesel belching monstrosity. That's gone now.

BT builds buses, but so does Surfside through bustech.

You can cut it however you like but I think some of this discussion misses the point. The idea isn't to privatise things by default so that they are better, the idea is that IF the bids that come in are better, then that will go through. Private = Better *isn't* assumed and that's why it's called contestability, not privatisation. It's the threat of privatisation that is being used to make things shape up.

[#Metro]

Until recently trains didn't even run on Sundays. Not to mention the disgraceful privatively run bus companies in Brisbane. People living in Brisbane City Council need to pray that companies like Hornibrook and Thompson aren't allowed to operate their buses.

Brisbane Transport doesn't perform equally well in different parts of Brisbane. For example, the Centenary Suburbs, it is rubbish. Rubbish route design, horrible frequencies, unappealing span. Why shouldn't a challenger be able to challenge and say 'we can do a better job in that part of the city'?

[HappyTrainGuy]

Until recently trains didn't even run on Sundays. Not to mention the disgraceful privatively run bus companies in Brisbane. People living in Brisbane City Council need to pray that companies like Hornibrook and Thompson aren't allowed to operate their buses.

Brisbane Transport doesn't perform equally well in different parts of Brisbane. For example, the Centenary Suburbs, it is rubbish. Rubbish route design, horrible frequencies, unappealing span. Why shouldn't a challenger be able to challenge and say 'we can do a better job in that part of the city'?

Hahahaha. POP QUIZZ EVERYONE! Name all the 30 minute or better frequency routes that you can that BT run on Brisbanes northside!

Lets have a look at the Brisbane northside routes currently run by BT. 302/326/327/328/329/334/336/337/346/354 don't run on Sundays. 301/320 reverts to a 90 minute frequency. The 306/322/338/353 reverts to a 2 hour frequency on the weekends. 306 also varies in its terminus ie Instead of servicing City to Nudgee via Toombul it turns into a Toombul-City only service.

Thompsons... Same frequency and roughly the same timining all week long with only a couple routes not running on the weekends. Their buses actually feed into the railway line. HBL is the same with a few routes not running. Once that railway line goes through with the translink updates PT usage will increase. Even moreso if the fares come down. Rothwell-Petrie isn't the best but then again the roads for a good network aren't even finished yet. Thompsons is still a charter bus service so a good portion of their fleet aren't capable of running a public service due to the DDA. They aren't the best but by hell they provide one hell of a service for their small fleet when you compare them to the amount of buses BT has but still are only capable of running hourly local routes.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Public transport experts warn of privatisation pain

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Public transport experts warn of privatisation pain

Can't wait for the blog comments ... 

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Measured approach wins economy race: Newman

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

2nd May 2013

Re: Public transport experts warn of privatisation pain

Greetings,

There has been a lot of debate recently about public and private ownership and operation. Our position is that what matters is frequency, speed, decent span of service, affordability, connectivity, reliability, efficiency, customer service. Nostalgia and the 'romantic aura' of state ownership do not form part of this.

The simple fact is this - 90% of the TransLink's public transport operators are already private. Brisbane City Council's CityCat Ferries are already privatised to TransDev TSL, a Veolia Company. If people want to experience the 'pain' of riding privatised transit, go and ride the CityCat. You'll pay exactly the same fares as anywhere else on the TransLink network, and services run every 15 minutes. You can even ride privatised bicycles in Brisbane - The CityCycle is private and a privatised train - AirTrain to the Airport. Want to ride a privatised bus? Catch the 555 Logan City bus to Loganholme, departing every 15 minutes from the city.

We also highlight recent comments by University of Canberra Associate Professor of economics Dr Cameron Gordon:

"... if fares are too low, too many people will use the network"

One can only hope this 'disadvantage' of private operation materialises, and quickly, as with ongoing 15% and 7.5% fare increases and falling patronage, it cannot come to Brisbane soon enough!

The inefficiency in Brisbane Transport has been carefully documented, right down to the route level by us and various blogs, such as the Brizcommuter Blog. The main benefit of Brisbane Transport being subject to contestability is the depoliticisation of the bus operation - resources will go to services rather than launch initiatives such as Maroon CityGlider that can be used during contests for the Lord Mayoralty. Issues with running buses across council boundaries, such as into Logan, will also vanish.

The Lord Mayor and BCC can no longer be trusted to run the city's buses. After a decade of games, it's time to separate Brisbane Transport from Brisbane City Council.

Media references to UK bus experiences are also invalid, as privatisation there went hand in hand with deregulation (i.e. a ban on integrated network planning). This will not be the case in Brisbane, as TransLink, a public agency, will be in control, and has been in control for the last decade.

We look forward to a new era in public transport provision, guided by frequency, speed, decent span of service, affordability, connectivity, reliability, efficiency, customer service, whether that be provided by public or private operators.

Best wishes
Robert

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

References:

List of Current TransLink Operators

Airtrain - Private (but publicly operated by QR)
Bay Islands Transit* - Private, (from 1 July 2013)
Bribie Island Coaches - Private
Brisbane Bus Lines - Private
Brisbane City Council Ferries - Privatised to TransDev TSL, a Veolia Company http://www.brisbaneferries.com.au/
Brisbane Transport - Public
Buslink - Private Bus
Queensland Lockyer Valley - Private
Caboolture Bus Lines - Private
Clarks Logan City Bus Service - Private
Hornibrook Bus Lines - Private
Kangaroo Bus Lines - Private
Mt Gravatt Bus Lines - Private
Park Ridge Transit - Private
Queensland Rail - Public
Southern Cross Transit - Private
Sunshine Coast Sunbus - Private
Surfside Bus Lines - Private
Thompsons's Bus Service - Private
Veolia Transport - Private
Westside Bus Company - Private

Total operators = 21
Public operators = 2 (Brisbane Transport, Queensland Rail)
Private Operators = 19

Public transport experts warn of privatisation pain
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/public-transport-experts-warn-of-privatisation-
pain-20130501-2isqe.html

Lord Mayor and BCC can no longer be trusted to run city's buses
http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9895.0

Relevant Brizcommuter Blog posts
http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/brisbane-city-council-bus-network.html
http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/brisbane-public-transport-hicksville.html
http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/more-of-brisbane-city-councils-not.html
http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/brisbane-city-council.html
http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/maroon-sillyglider-to-be-introduced.html

* Bay Islands Transit will be integrated into the TransLink Network from 1st July 2013.
The operator is the same one that runs Perth's Buses.

[ozbob]

^ scary change ghost ...

[#Metro]

Is that Cr Milton Dick, Jackie Trad, Graham Qurik

[nathandavid88]

I'm neither for nor against privatisation but people believing that it will automatically lead to improved services are very much mistaken. Look at what happened to New Zealand's rail network after it was privatised. Until recently trains didn't even run on Sundays. Not to mention the disgraceful privatively run bus companies in Brisbane. People living in Brisbane City Council need to pray that companies like Hornibrook and Thompson aren't allowed to operate their buses.

I think that by and large, the privately run bus companies in SEQ do a pretty good job! I have nothing but praise for Clarks LCBS and the routes they run. While there's always room for improvement to cut fat and increase efficiency (like merging the 111+555), they run a great service. 15 minute frequency for much of the day 7 days a week to the city on the 555, suburban routes that do connect to rail services quite well for the most part and provide decent coverage and ok (hourly) frequency on weekends.

Likewise, Surfside down the coast is another good one that provides pretty good service (the only issue with Surfside is the tendency to get caught in GC Highway traffic – bring on the light rail!) 

[ozbob]

I travel fairly regular on private and public bus operated systems.  Mainly BT and Westside, but certainly others at times.  I have nothing but praise for bus drivers, all.  I think it is a much community under-rated task.  Not only managing a heavy vehicle in often horrendous road and traffic conditions, but being patient and tolerant of others.

I cannot recall meeting one that has been less than professional in my journeys.  Sure, odd incidents might occur, but that is life.

[ozbob]

Townsville Bulletin --> Fear rail sale will see jobs shunted

[somebody]

Hahahaha. POP QUIZZ EVERYONE! Name all the 30 minute or better frequency routes that you can that BT run on Brisbanes northside!

300, 330, 333, 340, 345, 350, 370, 375, 379, 385, 390, 412, 425 (hourly weekend/evenings), 444, 45x & 460 but perhaps they don't count, 470, 475!

199, 196, Both Gliders are all half north of the river.

How'd I do?  Perhaps you only count the 3xx routes.

[red dragin]

I cannot recall meeting one that has been less than professional in my journeys.  Sure, odd incidents might occur, but that is life.

I met one the other day that blocked an intersection and all he said was "it doesnt say keep clear" .

[HappyTrainGuy]

Hahahaha. POP QUIZZ EVERYONE! Name all the 30 minute or better frequency routes that you can that BT run on Brisbanes northside!

300, 330, 333, 340, 345, 350, 370, 375, 379, 385, 390, 412, 425 (hourly weekend/evenings), 444, 45x & 460 but perhaps they don't count, 470, 475!

199, 196, Both Gliders are all half north of the river.

How'd I do?  Perhaps you only count the 3xx routes.

Very good I must say. Left out the 320 which is every 30 minutes but still very good overall Although I'd hardly call a Moggill bound bus a northside route haha   But when you look at that for the whole of Brisbane's northside that's pretty shocking for buses with a 30 minute frequency or better. Its made even worse when you consider quite a few of them duplicate a couple corridors eg 330/333/340/370 along Gympie Road to the Inner City busway, the 375 merges into that same corridor at Lutwyche to RBWH before it runs over to where it merges into the 370/375/379 and somewhat 335 corridor to another frequent duplicated corridor of the CG/196/199/306/310/315/320/322. The 379 (Grange end) also joins that same corridor just past Lutwyche and runs all the way to the RBWH and does the same as the 375 and runs over to duplicate the CG/196/199/306/310/315/320/322 corridor.

There are some corridors where things pick up such as the Sandgate road corridor where its a combined 30 minute frequency with the 310+315 but it can still be a pain depending on where your going eg outbound (don't forget the 310 will soon go via Airport Link). Toombul - City is just overkill with the 306/310/315/320/322 all of which have different stopping patterns like the Gympie Road corridor. Webster road is another corridor where there's a 30 minute frequency with the 325+335 but still you get shafted depending on where your going.

Outside those few corridors with multiple services its hourly buses pretty much everywhere. I know you weren't in favor of the translink review for the western region and the northern region wasn't perfect (Nudgee and Banyo area services for example) but the northern region was by far better than what we have now and to look forward to with BT's 'Network Review'

[somebody]

I'm aware of the corridors (e.g. 325/335) but that wasn't what the quiz was!

[HappyTrainGuy]

I'm aware of the corridors (e.g. 325/335) but that wasn't what the quiz was!

It wasn't. Just adding in some extra info so it wasn't so one sided but even then those types of corridors are only a minimum

[Old Northern Road]

I'm neither for nor against privatisation but people believing that it will automatically lead to improved services are very much mistaken. Look at what happened to New Zealand's rail network after it was privatised. Until recently trains didn't even run on Sundays. Not to mention the disgraceful privatively run bus companies in Brisbane. People living in Brisbane City Council need to pray that companies like Hornibrook and Thompson aren't allowed to operate their buses.

I think that by and large, the privately run bus companies in SEQ do a pretty good job! I have nothing but praise for Clarks LCBS and the routes they run. While there's always room for improvement to cut fat and increase efficiency (like merging the 111+555), they run a great service. 15 minute frequency for much of the day 7 days a week to the city on the 555, suburban routes that do connect to rail services quite well for the most part and provide decent coverage and ok (hourly) frequency on weekends.

Likewise, Surfside down the coast is another good one that provides pretty good service (the only issue with Surfside is the tendency to get caught in GC Highway traffic – bring on the light rail!)

Interestingly Logan has nearly twice the bus patronage as Moreton Bay despite Moreton Bay having over 100,000 more people. You are not going to get too many positive comments about the buses up here. Buses just aren't part of the culture up here.

[Old Northern Road]

http://translink.com.au/resources/travel-information/service-updates/seq-bus-network-review/seq-network-review-part3-proposed-network.pdf

Brisbane City Council

No of routes - 230
No of buses – 1216
Services per year - 3,320,668
Annual patronage - 76,128,000

Annual patronage per route – 330,991
Annual no of people per bus – 62,605
Average no of people per service – 23


Moreton Bay Regional Council

No of routes - 46
No of buses - 111
Services per year - 397,792
Annual patronage - 4,316,000

Annual patronage per route – 93,826
Annual no of people per bus - 38,883
Average no of people per service - 11


BCC buses don't look particularly wasteful when you compare them to the private bus companies in MBRC. Averaging over twice as many people per service and four times as many people per route. Nearly half of the 10 most poorly patronized bus routes in SEQ are operated by Hornibrook including the infamous 679.

Also there was an article in one of the papers up here not so long ago that said that Hornibrook were the most unreliable bus operator in SEQ with something like 60% of all services running late. One week I was forced to use the bus to get to the station and 4 out of the 5 days the bus was running so late that I missed my train connection so had to wait another 30min for the next train. Another time I was forced to wait 90min at Petrie station for the bus as the one I was supposed to catch didn't show up. Fortunately the bus driver let me have a free trip as my 2 hour ticket had obviously expired.

[ozbob]

Don't forget 44% of all BT bus pax are on 8% of the routes.  Hence the reason why TransLink wants more of the successful routes and better overall network design.

Meanwhile ...

From the Couriermail click here!

Contestability about ensuring Queenslanders get best deal

Contestability about ensuring Queenslanders get best deal

    by: Campbell Newman
    From: The Courier-Mail
    May 03, 2013 12:00AM

MANY of the Commission of Audit recommendations relate to the issue of contestability, which essentially means testing how services can best be delivered for Queenslanders.

Contestability is a process, not an outcome. It doesn't mean that services will be outsourced to the private sector. It doesn't mean that services will be retained.

It's about ensuring Queenslanders get the best service at the best price.

Despite scaremongering from the union bosses and Labor, contestability and outsourcing of Government services have been happening for years.

For example, public hospital services are already provided by the Mater (a non-government hospital in Brisbane) and Noosa (operated by a private provider).

Some of the iconic organisations that already provide services as part of Queensland Health's outsourcing partnerships with private and non-government providers include the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Blue Care and CareFlight.

It's interesting to note that under the former Labor government, outsourcing of Queensland Health services grew by more than 24 per cent from $792 million in 2008-09 to $986 million in 2011-12.

Similarly, bus services in southeast Queensland are provided by 17 different bus operators, 16 of which are private operators. Each contracted bus operator owns the assets used to deliver the services and is required to meet specific standards.

Further, nearly two thirds of the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services' budget is provided to non-government organisations to deliver services on behalf of the Government.

I firmly believe Queenslanders care much less about who is the provider than they care about access, quality and timeliness of the services they receive - as well as how much tax they have to pay.

They care about real outcomes, not bureaucratic inputs.

Today in Queensland there are Queenslanders who need services and are not receiving them because the way they have been delivered has not changed for decades.

There are public servants who want to do more for their fellow Queenslanders but have not been provided with the tools to help them to do it.

There are private sector operators and non-government organisations that have new ideas and ways of approaching problems that are not being heard.

That has to change. That will change.

The Government's response to the Commission of Audit report is about ensuring our public service is the best in Australia - efficient, effective and totally committed to delivering for the people of Queensland.

Our response is a plan for Queensland's future. It's a plan to create jobs and supercharge the state's economy, making the most of our natural resources and the talents of our people, while ensuring we enhance essential services and protect those who need a helping hand.

It's about ensuring Queensland remains a great state, with great opportunities.

Campbell Newman is the Premier of Queensland.

[techblitz]

http://translink.com.au/resources/travel-information/service-updates/seq-bus-network-review/seq-network-review-part3-proposed-network.pdf

Brisbane City Council

No of routes - 230
No of buses – 1216
Services per year - 3,320,668
Annual patronage - 76,128,000

Annual patronage per route – 330,991
Annual no of people per bus – 62,605
Average no of people per service – 23


Moreton Bay Regional Council

No of routes - 46
No of buses - 111
Services per year - 397,792
Annual patronage - 4,316,000

Annual patronage per route – 93,826
Annual no of people per bus - 38,883
Average no of people per service - 11


BCC buses don’t look particularly wasteful when you compare them to the private bus companies in MBRC. Averaging over twice as many people per service and four times as many people per route. Nearly half of the 10 most poorly patronized bus routes in SEQ are operated by Hornibrook including the infamous 679.

Also there was an article in one of the papers up here not so long ago that said that Hornibrook were the most unreliable bus operator in SEQ with something like 60% of all services running late. One week I was forced to use the bus to get to the station and 4 out of the 5 days the bus was running so late that I missed my train connection so had to wait another 30min for the next train. Another time I was forced to wait 90min at Petrie station for the bus as the one I was supposed to catch didn't show up. Fortunately the bus driver let me have a free trip as my 2 hour ticket had obviously expired.

good post.and its good to see someone also uncovering issues with hornibrook.
Yes you are right regarding late runnings and there is definitely systemic issues with this company feeding petrie rail.They seem to be on the ball with sandgate.
Finishing services too early on weekends,late running into petrie during counter-peak due to heavy anzac rd vehicle traffic.The 680 reliability needs to be looked at in both directions plus its 4pmish timetable has capacity issues.
With the relative success of the 315 due to its very direct path to the city.I think a peak hour express service direct to the city from north lakes is at least in order.
If so many people are shunning public transport in this growing suburb due to its indirect connection to petrie and sandgate rail,then seems like the perfect trial to me.Doesnt matter which route the rocket service would take...its most likely going to succeed because its heading more directly to the cbd and will be a 1 seat trip.And we all know this is what passengers from vehicle reliable suburbs prefer.

Hornibrook need to get thier act together and try and entice more cbd bound people from north lakes onto buses.When costco is built...vehicle traffic is going to explode in this area and they need to be prepared for more delays into petrie.All fine and dandy to say things will improve when mbrl is complete but some issues need acting on NOW!

couple of examples for the exp service could be:
north lakes - city via bruce hwy- gateway motorway-deagon deviation - sandgate rd <<< but there is 315 duplication here.
north lakes - city via bruce hwy & gympie rd & busway (NOT Stopping at chermside or strathpine!)  <<< slow yes but still a 1 seat trip and not that different to sitting on congested rds such as wynnum,mains etc.
Even a bullet service which takes bruce highway,deagon deviation,southern cross way,ew arterial,airport link etc.Lets not forget the success of the 546,142 

[somebody]

Moreton Bay also has a much higher cost per passenger than BT or the Gold Coast.  Ipswich is the worst, then Sunshine Coast.

[SurfRail]

Hornibrook have been trying to design a better network for nearly a decade but TransLink are unwilling or unable to fund it (that includes decent weekend services, avoiding one-way loop services and having consistent timetables and route numbers that don't chop and change based on time of day).

Number of high frequency services operated in the MBRC area - zero.  It's unsurprising that patronage is woeful because the product offered is rubbish.

(679 is a Thompsons route by the way.)