MEL: Connies in comeback [Article]

[jkin1@students.latrobe.edu.au (Jason King)]

From: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/index.asp?URL=/state/4244807.htm


Herald-Sun
14/3/99

  Connies in comeback
  By DEREK BALLINTINE

  14mar99

  CONDUCTORS will return to Melbourne's trams when they are
privatised.

  In a rebuff to State Government policy on manning, private operators
  bidding for public transport have recognised the shortcomings of the
  Metcard automated ticket system. 

  Five of the six short-listed bidders have told unions they will
  supplement the system with staff. 

  They are seeking union support for special manning levels – in
effect a
  compromise between a full roster of conductors and machine-only
  operations. 

  It is likely conductors will be on duty during peaks and for major
events.

  They are expected to be called customer service officers, but will
  perform traditional conductor duties, selling tickets and assisting
  commuters. 

  They may also sell daily tickets, which are not available from
on-board
  machines, despite being the most sought fare. 

  Lou Di Gregorio, secretary of the tram division of the Public
Transport
  Union, said talks with five of the six bidders revealed their
reservations
  about the $300million Metcard system. 

  The State Government has split trams and trains into six divisions
for
  privatisation. 

  Announcements on sales are expected within weeks. 

  Some bidders may be successful in buying several divisions, but none
  may buy all. 

  Bidders are concerned that the Metcard system is flawed and
  unfriendly, Mr Di Gregorio said. 

  "They know that the future of public transport depends on getting
  bums on seats and they are concerned the automatic ticket system is
  frightening people away," he said. 

  Mr Di Gregorio said he saw the new customer service officers putting
  friendly faces back on the trams, which lost the last of their
conductors
  last year, despite continuing problems with the implementation of
  Metcard. 

  He said they would not be like the current customer relations
officers,
  whose main job was to issue $100 penalty notices to fare evaders. 

  "They will represent real customer service – they will not be there
to
  jump on you with a fine when you do not have change for the
  machine," he said. 

  Amanda Scanlon, spokeswoman for the Minister for Transport, Robin
  Cooper, said Metcard would remain after privatisation. 

  But the new transport operators were free to make new staffing
  arrangements. 

  She said the minister had no comment on the bidding process and the
  short-listed bidders were not known to him. 

  The Public Transport Users' Association said putting staff back on
trams
  was good news. 

  "So long as it is not tokenistic, it's a positive move," the
association's
  vice-president, John McPherson said. 

  "Trams need conductors. The automatic ticket machines may have a
  useful back-up role, but they are not satisfactory as the primary
  method of selling tickets." 

  Metcard has been dogged by faults. 

  Its implementation was three years behind schedule and the State
  Government has not made final payments to One-Link, the consortium
  that won the contract. 

  The machines had also led to increased fare evasion, according to a
  report by the Auditor-General. 

  But criticism of Victorians by Peter Fogarty, chief executive of
  Perth-based ERG, one of three partners in the One-Link group, met
with
  a furious response this week. 

  Mr Fogarty said a "culture of fare evasion" in Victoria was
responsible
  for problems with Metcard. 

  He also claimed unions, the Opposition, and the Public Transport
Users'
  Association had undermined the system with ill-informed comments. 

  "How far out of touch is he?" an angry Mr Di Gregorio said. 

  "Is a frail, 75-year-old woman a fare cheat because she can not
  operate the machine on a moving tram? 

  "Are people fare cheats because the machines are not working or they
  haven't got the right change or they can't get the correct ticket? 

  "Victorians are not cheats. 

  "The blame is all One-Link's for giving us a system with so many
  problems."