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Action for Public Transport (N.S.W.) Inc. |
A transport consumer group says that the new bus fares announced today will do nothing to promote public transport use, or to smooth the path towards an integrated smartcard ticket.
Allan Miles, secretary of Action for Public Transport, said that bus fares will rise by about 3.5 per cent but some TravelPasses will increase by as much as 7 and 8 per cent. "A rise in weekly rail tickets by between 4 and 7 per cent has already been announced," he said.
"It is fortunate that ferry fares have stood still while the Government dithers with the sale or no-sale question," he said, "otherwise the TravelPass rises would have been worse."
Mr Miles said that IPART is more concerned with whether its actions will drive away existing passengers rather than finding a price structure that will attract new ones.
"The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has stuck doggedly to its cost accountant's approach," Mr Miles said, "and has ignored or over-ruled calls for a broader approach to pricing public transport."
This point was made by Mr Les Wielinga, Director-General of NSW Transport and Infrastructure, in a submission to the IPART Bus fares review. He said, "Fares policy must achieve a sustainable outcome that balances appropriate cost recovery with the impact on commuters and the desire to make public transport an attractive alternative to private vehicle."
Mr Miles said that while IPART rigidly segregates the finances for buses, trains and ferries, Sydney remains chained to a nineteenth century fares system. "Most comparable cities in Australia and overseas enjoy a twenty-first century system," Mr Miles said, "and have done so for some years."
"Of course, the separate operators must supervise their own finances," Mr Miles said, "but their ledgers must not be the foundations for setting fares. The public transport system must be seen as a whole."
"From 1st January 2010," Mr Miles said, "Sydney will be the only capital in Australia where you can still buy a train ticket for suburban travel. Everywhere else," he said, "passengers just buy a zone ticket for use on any tram, train, bus or ferry."
Mr Miles said that submissions to IPART's Bus Fare Review explained why a simple zone or time based fare system is essential for the success of a smartcard system. "Separate distance-based fare scales for bus, rail and ferry travel will stymie the second attempt at a smartcard as they did the first," he said.
"IPART continues to cling to limited flimsy evidence that its actions are correct," Mr Miles said, "in the face of overwhelming proof that the world has moved on." Mr Miles said that the above-average increases in TravelPasses result from IPART's flawed attempt to calculate a value for Joe and Zoe Commuter's likely travel patterns. "A few train trips here, "he said, "a few bus rides there, and a little bit of ferry thrown in for good measure. Add it all up and presto, that's the ticket price."
"IPART has also charged bus users for the cost of bus "improvements" made by the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA)," Mr Miles said. "Some of these benefit motorists as much as bus passengers," he said, "and some, like bus bays and special traffic signals, can actually hinder bus traffic."
"IPART has brushed aside comment that bus bays actually make buses slower, because the driver has difficulty re-entering the traffic flow,".Mr Miles said. "IPART instead says that bus bays provide a safer place for passengers to board and alight."
Mr Miles said that people may be surprised by the rail fare increases. "There has been no discussion about them during the year," he said, "because a four-year pricing path was set in December 2008".
Mr Miles said that users of TravelTens and TravelPasses can still make savings by stocking up now. "The price of these tickets does not increase until 3rd January," he said, "but undated tickets bought now can be used at any time in the future".
The price of Pensioner Excursion Tickets will not change from the current $2.50.
| Contact: | Allan Miles | 9516-1906 |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Eadie | 9819-6052 |
BUS SINGLES
| 1-2 sections | $1.90 to $2.00 | 5.3% |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 sections | $3.20 to $3.30 | 3.1% |
| 6-9 sections | $4.20 to $4.30 | 2.4% |
| 10-15 sections | $5.00 to $5.10 | 4.0% Reduced from $5.20 in the draft proposals. |
| 16+ sections | $6.10 to $6.30 | 3.3% |
BUS TRAVELTENS (constant relativity to single tickets)
| Blue | $15.20 to $16.00 | 5.3% |
|---|---|---|
| Brown | $25.60 to $26.40 | 3.1% |
| Red | $33.60 to $34.40 | 2.4% |
| Green | $40.00 to $40.80 | 4.0% Reduced from $41.60 in the draft proposals. |
| Orange | $48.80 to $50.40 | 3.3% |
TRAVELPASSES (weekly - various combinations of bus/train/ferry)
| Blue | $34.00 to $35.00 | 3.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Red | $38.00 to $41.00 | 7.9% * |
| Green | $46.00 to $48.00 | 4.3% * |
| Yellow | $50.00 to $52.00 | 4.0% * |
| Pink | $53.00 to $57.00 | 7.5% * |
| Purple | $60.00 to $64.00 | 6.7% * |
| Orange | $43.00 to $44.00 | 2.3% |
| Pittwater | $58.00 to $60.00 | 3.4% |
| 2 Zone | $34.00 to $35.00 | 3.0% |
BUSTRIPPER
All day bus only $12.70 to $13.00 (3.2%) Reduced from $13.10, a truly absurd price, in the draft proposals.
DAYTRIPPER
All day train, bus and ferry $17.00 to $18.20 (7.1%)
30+ km increase $3.00 (3.7% to 7.5%)
