Public Transport Association Australia New Zealand’s Post

Cheap bus fares all the time, and reduced fares for off-peak train and tram travel, provide an optimal combination that better uses Melbourne's public transport system while being socially progressive but not 'breaking the bank'. This practical, proportionate reform to Melbourne's public transport fares is an ideal companion to additional bus, train and tram services. Patrick Hatch reports in The Age today on concerns that cutting fares will not get more people out of cars if services are poor -https://lnkd.in/gvByxeu7 It's an understandable concern. But let's not rule out sensible, proportionate reforms to fares in Melbourne combined with service improvements. Infrastructure Victoria research 'Fair Move' modelled a fare structure that gets the most out of Melbourne's public transport. Travellers would pay less for off-peak or under-used services, such as buses - https://lnkd.in/g8kWEjGU We examined the challenges facing the network - crowded at times and under-used at others. Flat fare prices are unfair and do not offer much choice about when to travel. The same goes for making fares much cheaper but still a flat fare all the time- as is being proposed in some other cities. On the other hand, cheap bus fares all the time, and reduced fares for off-peak train and tram travel, provide an optimal combination that better uses Melbourne's public transport system while being socially progressive but not 'breaking the bank'. These targeted reforms to Melbourne's public transport fares, combined with service improvements, have a lot going for them. Crystal Legacy Graham Currie FTSE Tony Morton Public Transport Users Association Public Transport Victoria Public Transport Association Australia New Zealand Department of Transport and Planning University of Melbourne Monash University AITPM - Leadership in Traffic and Transport Bus Association Victoria #public #transport #fares #reform #melbourne #research #policy

I certainly welcome a public discussion on the future of our public transport system in Victoria, and I thank Jonathan Spear and Infrastructure Victoria for their deep engagement on the topic of fare structures, and to Patrick Hatch for the reporting (and opportunity for me to offer comment). We need a public transport system that is - at its very core - capable of serving diverse populations, and has a fare structure that can make accessibility possible for everyone. Of course, what we also need is a public transport system that is reliable, and offers high quality services and frequencies to all geographies of our cities and state (inner, middle, outer and regional). Victorians deserve nothing less. As the State prepares Plan Victoria, perhaps this is an opportunity to have these discussions, and to centre public transport (and importantly, busses) in these discussions.

Transport Leaders to allocate millions for bus improvements 📢🚍 Transport Leaders have agreed the allocation of around £100m for a range of bus improvements including enhanced services, cheaper fares, priority measures to speed up buses and improved passenger information, all thanks to the region’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding. The North East Joint Transport committee agreed at its meeting today (19 March) to allocate the remaining capital and revenue funding for a wide range of initiatives. Cllr Martin Gannon, Chair of the North East Joint Transport Committee, said: “It’s great to be investing so much in our bus network which is such an important part of everyday travel for our residents. “Local people need to be able to trust that the bus network is reliable, that buses run to timetable and that they can travel at a price they can afford. I’m hugely proud of the fare promotions we have launched using our BSIP funding – including the £1 fare for young people and affordable region-wide day tickets – but there is much to do to build passenger trust and deliver reliable services. “We are now looking to allocate our remaining funding to ensure that the money is there to invest in schemes which will make services much more punctual and reliable to really help passengers travel with confidence. “Schemes will include measures which will speed up bus services in congested areas alongside new Park and Ride sites and other improvements. Simplified and accessible passenger information will also play a huge part in this, with a new website providing real-time information to make travelling in the region by bus more appealing and intuitive. Our region’s BSIP is already making major improvements and I’m pleased to be taking this next exciting step.” Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eaU_d8ig #bus #publictransport #investment Transport North East Arriva UK Bus Go North East Stagecoach Bus NEbus - North East bus operators working together Urban Transport Group

Chair of the CTTC William Martin said: “Commercial bus operators play an integral role in the public transport network, serving both urban and rural communities. However, they face an uphill battle due to the advantages enjoyed by PSO state companies, which receive government subsidies which enables them to offer 20% lower fares. This competitive imbalance, a direct consequence of government policy, has created an uneven playing field within the industry, making it challenging for commercial bus operators to remain viable. Many operators have been forced to relinquish previously profitable routes, impacting the customers who depend on their services. #BusesMoveIreland #Budget2024 https://lnkd.in/eu--sRji

📢 NEW REPORT – #GearShift: International lessons for increasing public transport ridership in UK cities 🚉🚌    Centre for Cities puts forward 7️⃣ policies UK cities must consider if they are to reach European levels of public transport ridership 🇬🇧🇫🇷🇩🇪🇵🇹     🔗 https://lnkd.in/ePpvRX_A    Large UK cities lag far behind their European counterparts in terms of public transport ridership.    In Manchester, just 16% of workers commuted by bus, tram or train pre-Covid. In Newcastle this was 22%, and in Birmingham, 18%.     This compares to 33% in Lyon and 44% in Munich 🇫🇷🇩🇪     Improving connectivity & increasing public transport ridership is vital for our city economies.     Doing so:  🚘 Deters car use, reducing air pollution  📈 Promotes economic & productivity growth, matching workers to jobs & jobs to workers  🚏 Ensures non-car owners are well connected     Co-authors Matthew Coombes & Caitlin Rollison look at approaches taken by cities overseas which have successfully, and often significantly, increased public transport use. The report sets out 7️⃣ policy areas UK cities should consider if they are to increase ridership 👇     1️⃣ Increasing residential density around stations to put more people within reach of transit networks  2️⃣ Integrate existing networks  3️⃣ Improve and expand networks and increase frequency  4️⃣ Public transport prioritisation measures such as enforced bus lanes   5️⃣ Discounted ticketing and fare caps  6️⃣ Introduce road pricing measures  7️⃣ Impose car ownership restrictions and parking measures     💂♂️🏙 London, the only UK city with public transport usage comparable to the continent, has adopted over time a package of policies across these seven areas, including its density of development, revenue raising measures such as the Congestion Charge and bus franchising.     Govt should extend this package of policies to other big cities like Manchester and Birmingham, including:  🚇 TfL-style powers for transport bodies  🚌 Bus franchising  🏘️ Linking transport with development to increase densities around stations  🚘 Revenue raising measures such as a Workplace Parking Levy    👉 Reaching European levels of ridership will require almost 1️⃣ million extra workers commuting by public transport in the UK's 10 biggest cities outside London.     But to get there, cities must learn lessons from successful policy initiatives in London and cities overseas 🚍🚅 #Commuting #Transport #Economics

At a time when we’re still suffering a Cost-Of-Living-Crisis, Auckland Transport push up the already high cost of getting around, and still have the audacity to expect us to use them!   People cannot afford to eat or pay rent or electricity. How is increasing the cost of transport going to get more people on board?   My car is now even more attractive as a means of transport!   #aucklandtransport, #AT, you are so clueless that you cannot see the most obvious of all possible facts.   When can we expect to see cable-drawn gondolas instead of buses? They are used successfully in many places, including Singapore, La Paz, San Fransisco, and Cape Town. Why don’t we learn from these multiple locations? I’ll tell you why. Because AT are too arrogant to accept that any ideas from their Customers might actually be better than their own ideas!   Cable drawn gondolas occupy only a tiny fraction of the space occupied by bus lanes, are cheaper to build, cheaper to maintain, cheaper to operate, can reduce wait times to 30s or less, can travel faster than buses, and powered with electricity, over 80% of which in NZ is generated from clean renewable sources, thus providing an excellent way to achieve our carbon commitments AND make public transport affordable, reliable, and accessible to all AND still leave land available to build much needed houses (rather than destroying them for bus lanes, as they have done in Pakuranga)!   Why is this not already in place, #AT? Explain, please…   https://lnkd.in/gyiRJcS6  

What will it take for commuters to switch to public transport? Reducing, or indeed removing, the cost of public transport has long been debated as mechanism to encourage people to make the switch. Is it effective? The city of Brisbane may soon find out. In an effort to ease #congestion and help with the #costofliving, Brisbane #publictransport fares will be reduced to just 50c. The initiative is being introduced on a 'use it or lose it' trial basis. If enough commuters leave their cars at home in favor of public transport, the fares will likely become a permanent fixture. Brisbane City Council #mobility #innovation https://lnkd.in/g_hGQ-B6

Wales /6 March 2024 /Intelligent Transport -- The next steps to delivering bus reform for #Wales have been set out by the Welsh Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters. The ‘Roadmap to #Bus Reform: Towards One Timetable, One Timetable, One Ticket‘ builds on the proposals of the bus whitepaper that was published in March 2022 to radically shake-up the way that the public transport system works in Wales. “We’re moving from a privatised system that puts profit before people towards one that will plan buses and trains together around the needs of passengers,” Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Climate Change, with responsibility for transport, said. The current system, where bus operators decide where to run services based on where they can maximise profit, will be replaced by a system of ‘franchised’ contracts. Transport for Wales (#TfW), local councils and the Welsh Government will work together to design bus networks that link key services and tie up with other buses and train timetables, all using one ticket. Companies will then be able to bid to run the whole package of routes for an area, not just the ones that are the most profitable. “This is the most far-reaching set of reforms taking place anywhere in the UK“ At the moment, using your car is easy but using public transport can feel like a hassle. “Our aim is to create one joined up network, one integrated timetable which you can access using one ticket. That way, we will make it easier to understand how to use public transport, and it will make journeys seamless,” Waters added. The roadmap sets out year-by-year targets of how the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales plan to approach the delivery of franchising bus services in Wales. This includes how the organisations intend to work closely with partners and stakeholders, such as local authorities and bus operators, to design and deliver services that are easy to use, easy to access and well connected for communities across Wales. This new approach is proposed to be rolled out on a geographical basis and will take several years to achieve. Image Source | (© Surprising_SnapShots | pixabay)

'Mobility is a right' Well at least according to the Head of Transport in Montpellier, the 7th largest city in France who is trialling giving all residents free access to the bus and tram network. I don't know about you but as a commuter into London, my travel costs just keep going up and up. It's at odds with the desire to have people back in offices and and out of cars. Trains should not cost more than petrol and parking but they often do. I know there have been some price caps on buses in parts of the UK but people don't often have a choice when it comes to a train and costs are becoming untenable for many. It seems morally wrong that large parts of our 'public' transport system in the UK is privatised with private businesses receiving government subsidies but not the passengers and it seems with ongoing strikes, the people driving our trains, tubes and buses are not benefiting either. Our public transport fares are the most expensive in Europe, something that doesn't sit right with me. What do you think? Should public transport be privatised or return to being more 'public'? #publictransport #mobility

How can we encourage the use of public transport when overpricing, overcrowding, and poor reliability discourage commuters from using it? The answer lies in providing clarity and subsidising public transport with revenue from road taxes. It works in other parts of the world, like Luxembourg, where a virtually free, efficient, and clean bus and tram system has reduced car use. If governments and councils truly want to promote public transport, they need to take a page from Luxembourg's book and invest in a reliable and affordable system that benefits everyone. What do you think? #publictransport #car #roads https://lnkd.in/dBGH9c9i