Media release 31st March 2013
SEQ: TransLink fare review now off the rails?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 is very concerned that the failure to drive the bus network in principle as proposed properly by TransLink, will now lead to a stalemate to sort out the fare system for TransLink south-east Queensland (1, 2).
Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:
"An important premise of the TransLink bus review was that it was to be revenue neutral, because the better overall frequency and increased number of services and frequent routes particularly in the high demand period between 7am to 7pm, the improved legibility and simplification, as well as better integration with rail would have lead to increased patronage and fare box. This would have supported the intent to address the high cost of fares in south-east Queensland."
"The vacillation by the Minister for Transport and Main Roads with respect to the bus review has now put reform of the fares at serious risk. The Brisbane City Council bus review is not likely to achieve the same results. They have created a bus system that is broken, are in a state of denial and are struggling to see the need to adopt best practise public transport planning principles. They are locked into a 1970s high cost, poor frequency, isolated, inefficient direct service network model."
"We call on a committment by the Minister to the public of south-east Queensland that the fare review process is to continue."
"We do not accept that the rest of south-east Queensland should suffer public transport mediocrity because of the intransigence and incompetence of Brisbane City Council with respect to the failure to understand that their bus system is broken, and their obvious lack of understanding of the steps needed to position it for a sustainable transport future!"
Contact:
Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track
http://backontrack.orgReferences:
1. SE Qld public transport among the most expensive in the world
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-16/se-qld-public-transport-among-the-most-expensive/45776942. Translink Fare Modelling - Brisbane's Transport - we just can't afford
http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=9783.03. Brisbane City Council's "not broken" bus network
http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/brisbane-city-council.html4. More on Brisbane City Council's "not broken" bus network
http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/more-of-brisbane-city-councils-not.html5. Is the Qld government missing the bus?
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2013/03/25/is-the-qld-government-missing-the-bus/6. SEQ bus network review
http://translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/seq-bus-network-review7. BCC Bus Review
http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/traffic-transport/public-transport/buses/index.htm