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Action for Public Transport (N.S.W.) Inc.

NEWS RELEASE: Transport authorities warned on fares submissions

posted Monday 20 June 2005
Sydney's public transport bureaucrats have been warned to sharpen themselves up before calling for fare rises this year.

In a submission to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART), the commuter watchdog Action for Public Transport (APT) has reminded bus and ferry operators and government departments of IPART's criticisms of their 2004 fare-increase submissions.

A spokesman for APT, Allan Miles, said that in last year's determinations, IPART noted many shortcomings both in the agencies' submissions calling for higher fares, and in their general management procedures.

Mr Miles said that the criticisms included:

"If the authorities want fares rises, they must justify them to an independent body, and not just put their hands in commuters' pockets," Mr Miles said.

Mr Miles said that IPART is conducting a review of bus and ferry fares and is calling for submissions from transport authorities and from the general public.

"APT is taking the initiative in this review," Mr Miles said, "and has proposed its own new fare schedule." "We propose a three percent increase in single bus fares and TravelTens," he said. "This will maintain the TravelTen discount at around the current 20%." Mr Miles said that the Ministry of Transport wants to reduce the discount to an unacceptable level of 15%.

Since fare harmonisation in January 2005, State Transit and private bus fares are the same.

"APT has also proposed a maximum five percent increase in single ferry fares and in FerryTen tickets," Mr Miles said.

"We recommend no increases in TravelPass tickets," he said, "because there is no increase in rail fares, and there have been excessive increases in TravelPass prices over recent years."

Contact: Allan Miles 9516-1906



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