Re: Bus-train integration (was Free Ride (Victoria))

["Peter Parker" <parkerp@alphalink.com.au>]

James C <jamesccj@optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:3933b161$0$8467$7f31c96c@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au...
> I would give Brisbane and Perth about the same rate as Melbourne and
Sydney.
> True, the trains are new and facilities are clean. But there aren't as
good
> co-ordnation between all operators, so called "Rover ticket" are expensive

The Perth ticketing system is well-integrated and roughly similar to
Melbourne's
multimode zonal system (though it's been around longer).  However Perth's 8
zones for a city smaller than Melbourne (which uses 3 zones) is excessive.
Train
frequencies in Perth are at least as good as the Eastern and Southern
suburbs of
 Melbourne, and are better on the Joondalup and Fremantle lines (at times).

The main reason why all-day travel in Perth is expensive is because daily
tickets
cover all zones.  There is no such thing there as an all day one or two zone
ticket
as there is in Melbourne.  Also there are restrictions on when a daily
ticket can
be used (see Transperth website).  Speaking of which, this site is an
excellent resource
for timetable junkies like myself - if you can handle the use of PDF files
(I prefer
the html that ACTION in Canberra uses), it is streets ahead of the mess that
passes for Victrip.

Buses are the main weakness of Perth - most residential areas are away
from the rail line, and service frequencies on feeders (especially in the
South-Eastern
suburbs) is poor.  The proportion of people within walking distance of a
station would
be much less than the approx 20% quoted in Paul Mees book for Melbourne.
For a much
larger proportion of its population growth period, Perth turned its back on
the rail system
and integration between the rail network and significant shopping areas is
less than in Melbourne.

Bus headways, particularly on routes that haven't been recently
re-scheduled, are often
irregular and erratic - you must have a timetable - like Canberra's 40 min
headways on previously
30min routes.  The Northern suburbs routes that were  redesigned to suit the
rail line at
 least have regular headways, though frequency isn't great.  The circle
route is a good innovation
that to some extent mitigates the extreme radial nature of Perth PT, though
weekend and
night service is either poor or non-existent.  I would say, however, that
Perth has made
significant progress in its bus system in the last five years and there are
still many
opportunites for improvement.

Peter