Social Exclusion: an Operators Perspective

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Social Exclusion an Operators Perspective

• John Stanley
• Bus Association Victoria
• Transport, Social Disadvantage and Well Being
  Conference
• April, 2006

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Basic value premise

• All people have the right to a decent basic level
  of access, irrespective of personal circumstance
• as a fundamental prerequisite for being able to
  enjoy the opportunities afforded by our society
• Proposition dealing with specific origins of SE
  can increase inclusion and wellbeing

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A Fairer Victoria

• Many people continue to experience disadvantage
  because of who they are or where they live (John
  Thwaites, A Fairer Victoria)
• yet A Fairer Victoria does not deal with
  transport/land use aspects of access

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BAV research interest

• Seeking to understand the spatial disparity of
  accessibility and the existence of transport
  disadvantage
• And to understand the linkages between transport
  disadvantage, public transport service provision,
  social exclusion and personal wellbeing

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Equity of access
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Transport disadvantage
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Equality of opportunity?

• Indicator Train Tram Bus
• Av. weekday peak frequency (mins) 15 7 40
• Average interpeak frequency (mins) 20 12 50
• Weekday average start time 05.00 05.00 06.46
• Weekday average finish time mnight mn 18.53
• Saturday service availability 100 100 74
• Saturday average finish time mn mn 17.14
• Sunday service availability 100 100 30

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BAV Warrnambool case study

• To explore travel patterns of transport
  disadvantaged groups and identify priorities to
  improve their accessibility, focusing on the role
  of public transport
• A first step towards better understanding the
  links between improved public transport, social
  exclusion and personal wellbeing

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Route bus services
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School bus services

• Various school bus services 600,000 kms/year and
  nearly one million boardings
• School travel accounts for 85 of bus trips, exc.
  V/Line

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Smaller towns

• Portland about 1.2 kms/p.c.
• Port Fairy no service
• Some towns lacking connecting services to
  Warrnambool Mortlake
• Hawkesdale corridor is also short of PT
  connections to Warrnambool

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Community transport

• Plays a very important role
• Numerous providers
• Some problems in service provision, e.g.
• limited operating times
• narrow eligibility criteria
• low vehicle utilisation
• lack of integration with route and school
  services

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Survey findings route bus users

• Pensioners and students account for 4/5 tickets
  sold
• Users tend to see they have no alternative
• - the limitations on services constrain their
  opportunities
• Often travel alone and the trip sometimes aids
  social inclusion
• Concerns about limited weekend services, short
  span of weekday service hours, the two-hour
  ticket lack of service information

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Young people

• Mobility/accessibility a key to knowing
  possibilities
• Can be well off or very disadvantaged in
  transport terms
• rural young were possibly the most disadvantaged
  as a group (the stay at home factor)
• Particular problems include access to alternative
  educational programs, work, entertainment and
  recreation (evenings, weekends)
• Poor access encourages leaving town and/or
  driving ASAP, with safety issues

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Deakin residential students

• University seeking growth in international and
  regional students
• Very car dependent, esp. outside bus hours
• Car ride sharing common
• - often associated with an sense of obligation
• Female international students less likely to ask
  for lifts

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Seniors

• Significant numbers
• Strongly car dependent
• Often walkers CT assists
• Some have a low level of knowledge of PT services
• 2-hour ticket constraint
• Lack of preparation for non-driving years
• Those without car access face more SE risk

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People with a disability

• Have typically not been part of the car culture
  and have developed alternative mobility options
• e.g. PT, community transport, walking, friends,
  taxis, etc
• strong support services available
• Those living outside urban Warrnambool face
  greater accessibility difficulties

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People on low incomes

• Frequently car share
• Tend to be more reliant on PT
• Find paying PT fares for urban school travel
  tough
• Young single mothers at high risk of social
  exclusion

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Indigenous community

• Has a well functioning community bus service
• - major communities located outside route bus
  catchment
• Tend to feel uncomfortable using PT (racism)
• Car use/safety is an issue among some young
• Familiarisation programs on PT should be tried

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Trip rates in Warrnambool
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Some insights

• The trip as a form of social inclusion (e.g.
  three generations in family senior with low
  mobility)
• Accessibility as a locational determinant (sight
  impaired person)
• Access, lack of opportunities and youth suicide?

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Some insights (cont)

• The value of an additional trip to a SE person is
  higher than that for an included person
• An example of how to allow for this in some cases
  distributive weighting systems (e.g. UK
  Treasury)
• - studies suggest that, as income is doubled, the
  marginal value of consumption is halved

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Major findings (extended from Wbool)

• PT service enhancements
• Marketing of PT services
• Regulatory reform
• Transport system planning
• Research needs

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(1) PT service enhancements

• Minimum PT service levels are needed to provide a
  basic level of access to most people
• in Melbourne and larger cities, should be hourly
  frequency for at least 15 hours on weekdays, 13
  on Saturday and 12 on Sundays
• - this will improve access/mobility for many
  TD groups
• Services should be provided early to growth
  suburbs
• Route/tourist services should be trialled in
  smaller regional towns
• - possibly using school or community buses
• Gaps in inter-town route services should be
  filled
• USE IT OR LOSE IT!!!

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(2) Marketing

• Needs to be higher priority for bus operators
• - incorporate marketing incentives in bus
  contracts
• Provide enhanced customer service training to
  some drivers (generally very highly regarded)
• Provide awareness programs for seniors
• Run program to deal with racism on PT (Wbool)
• Extend transport concessions to international
  students

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(2) Marketing (cont).

• Allow time-purchase of student yearly passes
• Change 2 hour route service ticket to 3 hours
• Include marketing incentives in route bus
  contracts

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(3) Regulatory reform (examples)

• Institutional arrangements/regulations encourage
  inefficient silos (e.g. route bus, school bus,
  CT)
• Industry and government need to be more
  innovative with service delivery in low density
  areas
• greater role for demand responsive services
• Provide greater flexibility in use of school
  buses by non-students
• Provide DDA exemption from school buses providing
  route services in areas without such service

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(4) Transport system planning

• Personal transport is about meeting accessibility
  needs and fostering social inclusion
• Service delivery is typically structured around
  modes (silos) rather than meeting access needs
• Someone needs to own accessibility!!!
• Establish Regional Accessibility Planning Council
  to identify and prioritise accessibility needs
  and deliver solutions
• Focus all State/Federal transport related funding
  (e.g. HACC) through DOI, advised by RAPCs

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5. Research

• Research should continue on the direct and
  indirect linkages between transport disadvantage,
  social inclusion and wellbeing
• - and on the roles that various transport modes
  can play in fostering inclusion