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

[Evad Rehtona <davemclAXETHIS@iprolink.co.nz>]

Bradley Torr wrote:
 
> why are private bus operators in
> Sydney (and it also appears, Melbourne) so ^&$#^&*ing dodgy? Experience in
> other areas of service provision (e.g. electricity and other utilities,
> health services, road construction etc.) shows that the private sector is
> generally more efficient and more 'customer-oriented) than the bureacratic
> public sector. But why not in public transport? I, as an amateur transport
> geek, can think of 1001 things bus operators can do to improve patronage and
> customer relations. But it would appear that bus companies are quite content
> to bumble along not giving two solid sh**s about their passengers without
> worrying about increasing passenger numbers, therefore revenues, therefore
> profits. 

Lack of competition. It is competition that makes the private sector
more efficient, and when you have a monopoly (such as with the private
bus routes in Melbourne) then there is no quest for efficiency.

There appears to be no competitive tendering of private bus routes in
Melbourne (I can't talk about Sydney as I am not familiar with the
process there). The same companies that operated the private bus routes
in Melbourne in the 1950s, 60s, 70s etc are still chugging along on the
same old routes (ie Ventura's routes from Box Hill to Mordialloc etc)
and some of the buses look to be the same ones they used when I was a
kid there in the 1970s.

All the operators have to do is run the bus and collect the government
subsidy. They don't have to worry about another operator promising a
better service at lower cost.

Here in New Zealand, all subsidised routes are put to triennial public
tender and the tender is awarded to the company offering the best mix of
lowest subsidy and most modern bus. This has meant hundreds of new
low-floor buses going into service in Auckland, Wellington and
Christchurch in the past few years, improved services and levels of
comfort, and much lower public subsidies than in the past. And steadily
rising patronage for the first time in decades.

Additionally, many of the main bus routes in Auckland and the main
trolleybus routes in Wellington are run as fully commercial services now
and attract no subsidies for their weekday services. Subsidies here tend
to go to lightly patronised routes regarded as a social service and to
night and weekend services.


--
David McLoughlin
Auckland New Zealand

Where am I going, and why am I in this handbasket?