Governance and Engagement: A Bus Industry Perspective

1
Governance and Engagement A Bus Industry
Perspective

• John Stanley
• Transport, Social Disadvantage and Wellbeing
  Forum
• July 2007

2
Scope

• Goals for sustainable personal transport
• Governance and engagement
• At the State level
• At regional/local level

3
Goals for sustainable personal transport

• Access - ensure transport services meet peoples
  travel needs effectively
• Equity - ensure that a reasonable level of
  mobility is available to all, irrespective of
  personal circumstance
• Safety - improve transport-related safety
• Environment - reduce the environmental impact of
  transport systems and their use
• Efficiency - ensure transport goals are pursued
  efficiently
• Governance ensure people have the opportunity
  to have a say on travel needs and solutions that
  might affect them

4
Governance and engagement at State level for
route bus services
Strategic policy level Tactical system
design level Operational delivery (contracts)
5
MOTC as an outcome of an engagement process

• Bus industry research and advocacy, with
  partners, relating to PTs role in
• congestion reduction, environmental improvement
  and social inclusion
• States own research
• Shared tactical level concepts of (e.g.)
• minimum service level for local services (social
  transit)
• Orbital trunk routes (commuter transit)
• Contracts will deliver on the operational side
• in an on-going partnership relationship (trust
  crucial)

6
Social equity in transport

• Many people have poor access to services and/or
  are having to spend large income shares on
  transport
• especially people in fast growing outer suburbs
• where bus is the most realistic PT option
• similar issues arise in regional areas

7
Warrnambool case study
8
Warrnambool public transport limitations
(examples)

• Limited weekend services
• Short span of weekday service hours
• Lack of service information
• Marketing weak

9
Community transport

• Plays an important role
• Numerous providers
• Some problems in service provision (e.g.)
• limited operating times
• narrow eligibility criteria
• low vehicle utilisation
• lack of integration with other public transport
  and school services

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Key issue accessibility planning

• Personal transport is about meeting accessibility
  needs and fostering social inclusion
• Service delivery is typically structured around
  modes (functions) rather than around meeting
  peoples needs for access (place/people)
• PT/school bus/community transport services/taxis
  operate in isolation, rather than as a single
  service delivery system
• Someone needs to own accessibility!!!

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Warrnambool main proposals

• PT service enhancements (span of hours days of
  week hourly frequency OK in Warrnambool)
• Concept of a Minimum Service Level
• Best way to benefit most transport disadvantaged
  people
• Improve PT marketing
• Regulatory reform (e.g. wider use of school buses
  by other travellers/groups)
• Establish a Regional Accessibility Planning
  Council

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RAPC Roles

• Identify and prioritise regional access needs
• Regional stakeholder involvement
• Bottom up, not top down!
• Be the regional advocate for services and service
  improvements
• Facilitate greater regional integration in
  service provision
• e.g. route bus, school bus, community
  transport, taxi

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Warrnambool Regional Accessibility Committee

• Now formed
• Locally owned (range of regional stakeholder
  participants)
• Not dependent on higher government funding
• Focus more on bottom up outcomes (better services
  for those who need them more efficient resource
  use better marketing)
• Higher Government support is best directed at
  supporting improved services, and encouraging the
  environment for this, rather than employing
  brokers

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What Now?

• State-level governance and engagement in PT is
  working well for route bus services at present
• Public/community transport works best when it is
  locally/regionally owned
• Time for local government to show leadership in
  accessibility planning
• linked to enhanced social inclusion and
  well-being (e.g. TC)
• Higher governments should provide a supportive
  co-ordinating framework
• Some funding pots should be pooled to widen
  solution opportunities