Review of performance
Bus services
Ferry services |
Transperth
is the brand and operating name of the public transport system
in metropolitan Perth, comprising of bus, train and ferry
services.
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The Transperth
system consists of:
- a bus
network providing services over 305 standard routes and
482 school service routes, operating a total fleet of 1,015
buses;
- a suburban
train network of 56 stations on four railway lines, 95 kilometres
of track and a fleet of 48 two-car sets; and,
- a ferry
service using two vessels operating between the city (Barrack
Street) and South Perth
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Transperth
bus and ferry services are provided under commercial contract
arrangements, while Transperth train services are provided in-house
by Transperth Train Operations. Currently three contractors
provide bus services under eleven contracts:
- Path
Transit (Marmion-Wanneroo and Morley contracts);
- Swan
Transit (Canning, Kalamunda, Midland and Southern River
contracts);
- Swan
Transit Riverside (Claremont-Belmont contract); and,
- Southern
Coast Transit (Rockingham-Mandurah, Fremantle-Cockburn,
Perth Central Area Transit and Fremantle Central Area Transit
contracts).
Transperth
ferry services are contracted to, and operated by, Captain
Cook Cruises.
The Transperth
passenger information service is provided through information
offices and a call centre, operated by a contracted service
provider, Serco.
Patronage
Patronage on the Transperth system increased for the fifth
year in succession. Total boardings, including free travel
and transfers, increased by 2.8% from 88.1 million in 2002/03
to 90.6 million, while fare-paying initial boardings increased
by 2.1% from 54.3 million to 55.5 million. The total capacity
provided on the Transperth system, expressed in terms of passenger
place kilometres, increased by 2.0% due mainly to the increase
in the number of four-car train sets. On a per-capita basis,
public transport usage (initial boardings plus free travel)
within the Perth metropolitan area increased by 1.8% from
44.4% in 2002/03 to 45.2% in 2003/04. This compares with a
1.4% increase in population in this time.
Accessibility
During the year,Transperth continued a program to make services
more accessible to all sections of the community.
Train
services
The key issue for train accessibility is whether access to
train stations meets accessibility standards. Of the 56 stations
on the suburban network, 11 stations complied with the Disability
Standards for Accessible Public Transport and guidelines under
the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, during the year under
review, and provided independent access to people in wheelchairs.
This compares with eight stations meeting the requirements
in the previous year.
In 2003/04,
of the remaining 45 stations, 33 provided partial access while
12 provided limited access. At these stations, people in wheelchairs
are assisted to access the station and trains.
Bus
services
Transperth is continuing its long-term program of replacing
the Transperth bus fleet with new accessible buses. At 30
June 2004, there were 422 accessible buses in the Transperth
fleet out of a total fleet number of 1,015. Preference is
given to operating accessible buses wherever possible. On
bus services during 2003/04, accessible buses completed more
than 51.0% of total service kilometres.
Ferry
services
Transperths newer ferry, the Shelley Taylor-Smith, is
an accessible vessel and is used for the bulk of Transperth
ferry services.New construction at the Barrack Street Jetty
and Mends Street Jetty over recent years has made both jetties
fully accessible. Efforts to make the second Transperth ferry
and Coode Street Jetty accessible will be given priority in
future capital works programs.
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SmartRider
fare gates at Stirling Station
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Customer
satisfaction
In the 2004 Passenger Satisfaction Monitor, 82.0% of users
expressed overall satisfaction with Transperth bus services,
compared with 84.0% in 2003. On trains, 90.0% expressed overall
satisfaction, compared with 92.0% in 2003. On ferries, the
proportions were 95.0% in 2004 and 97.0% in 2003.
The proportion
of users who were satisfied with the way Transperth communicated
service changes increased from 58.0% in 2003 to 62.0%.
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The proportion
of users who were aware of the Transperth website increased
from 53.0% to 66.0%. Satisfaction with the site increased
from 77.0% to 81.0% and usage from 27.0% to 34.0%.
The organisations
commitment to service means that staff value and respect feedback
from its customers. All customer feedback is recorded in a
centralised management information system and disseminated
for action.
Service
information
Continuing public awareness and interest in TravelEasy, Transperths
database that provides passengers with relevant and timely
service information, resulted in a significant increase in
registrations from 2,000 in 2002/03 to 15,000.
SmartRider
project
This project involves the replacement of the MultiRider magnetic
stripe ticketing system with a contactless SmartRider smartcard
ticketing system across the existing bus, rail and ferry network
as well as the future Southern Suburbs Railway. Delairco Bartrol
was awarded the contract for the system in October 2003. Completion
is expected in July 2005.
Components
of this system include:
- provision
of 400,000 standard and concession smartcards;
- provision
of fare gates at Perth, Bassendean, Midland, Gosnells,Armadale,
Fremantle, Stirling, Warwick,Whitfords and Joondalup train
stations to reduce fare evasion and enhance security;
- implementation
of a portable smartcard hand-held unit, to enable quick
and reliable card
enquiries and/or peak period card validation;
- replacement
and upgrading of the existing ticket-issuing machines on
buses; and,
- commissioning
of more than 50 point-of-sale terminals at various agencies
across the metropolitan
area.
A successful
trial of SmartRider was carried out during May 2004. The four-week
trial involved 454 patrons who travelled between Stirling
and the city using feeder buses and trains, and 20 bus drivers
from the Karrinyup depot.
Accessible
pathways to public transport facilities
A grant scheme was delivered to assist local councils with
the provision of improved accessible pathways in Western Australia.
This will result in the installation of 19 new accessible
pathways throughout WA during 2004/05.
Bus
Shelter Grant Scheme 2003/04
This Scheme provides funding to local councils to assist in
the installation of bus stop shelters throughout Western Australia.
In the 2003/04 year, the Scheme provided 87 shelters in metropolitan
and regional centres.
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Review of performance top
of page
Train
services
Performance
There were more than 4,600 individual services each week on
the urban passenger rail system. These services achieved a
punctuality (arriving within three minutes of schedule) averaging
89.3%. This result is lower than the PTA achieved in previous
years when average punctuality of 97.4% was consistently achieved.
The deterioration in performance was mainly a result of train
drivers actions during the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement
negotiation process.
Engineering
works during the year also exacerbated the difficulties with
on-time running.
The Claisebrook
railcar depot again retained certification to ISO 9001/2000
for its preventative maintenance, modification and cleaning
of electric railcars.
During
the year, implementation continued in the initiative to have
in-house Transit Guards providing customer service and security
on the urban passenger railway network.
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Transperth
train drivers Elvis Yarran (left)
and Brad Lewis
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Key
outcomes
Total boardings on trains fell marginally (0.8%) in 2003/04
to 31.115 million. This followed significant increases recorded
between 1998/99 and 2000/01. The decline in 2003/04 was due
largely to industrial action by train drivers.
Total
boardings per service kilometre fell by 4.9% from 4.88 in
2002/03 to 4.64 in 2003/04 as a result of the decline in total
boardings combined with an increase in train service kilometres.
The increasing use of four-car sets led to a 4.3% increase
in train service kilometres in 2003/04.
Customer
satisfaction
An annual survey is conducted by independent marketing consultants
to measure performance and passengers overall satisfaction
with the service. Some highlights from this years survey
of train passengers include:
- overall
customer satisfaction was 90.0% (92.0% in 2002/03);
- perceptions
of cost of the fares as being good value for money was 70.0%
(65.0%);
- satisfaction
with InfoLine staff knowledge was 88.0% (89.0%);
- satisfaction
with InfoLine staff manner was 89.0% (91.0%);
- safety
rating on stations during the day was 95.0% (90.0%);
- safety
rating on board trains during the day was 95.0% (96.0%);
and,
- safety
rating on board trains at night increased to 79.0% (73.0%).
This measure has shown a steady increase since 1997 when
satisfaction was 58.0%.
Passenger
security
The development of a centrally-monitored, closed-circuit television
(CCTV) video surveillance system, providing images
of entry and exit points at all 56 metropolitan stations and
improved station lighting, is nearing completion.
Works
carried out on the project this year included:
- centralised
CCTV monitoring room and digital storage of recorded video
images.This work is expected to be completed in early-2005;
- station
equipment cubicles were installed at 24 train stations
these units combine passenger
information, public address and emergency contact functions
such as help telephones which
ring through to the central monitoring room where staff
are in direct contact with the WA Police
Service;
- fibre-optic
cable route from Midland-Perth-Fremantle was completed.
High-speed
communication, transmitting video images from station security
monitoring cameras back to
the central monitoring room is a vital part of the security
initiatives project. Fibre-optics work
continues on the Armadale line and is expected to be complete
in late-2004; and,
- improved
lighting at all stations on the Fremantle and Armadale lines.This
work began during
the year and lighting was completed on the Midland line
in early-2004.
Other
security initiatives
Planning for the provision of barriers at selected stations
was well advanced at year end.Work is
expected to be completed to coincide with the introduction
of the SmartRider ticketing system in
2005.
Secure car park facilities were introduced at 17 train stations
in December 2003. Six of these
facilities are patrolled while the remainder are compounds
which are locked between 9am and
3.30pm on weekdays.
Building
Better Train Stations
The program is intended to create more attractive and safer
railway stations, with better access and
integration with town centres. Key features of this program
in 2003/04 were:
Armadale
Station
This station, to be completed in November 2004, will be relocated
to create a new focal point for
the Armadale town centre, as part of the Department for Planning
and Infrastructures Vision for the
Armadale Station Precinct report.
Gosnells
Station
This station, to be completed in February 2005, will be relocated
in accordance with the City of
Gosnells Town Centre Revitalisation Scheme to create
a new focal point for the town centre.
Bassendean
Station
A major upgrade of the Bassendean Station will be completed
this year1
and incorporates the
outcomes of the Enquiry-by-Design precinct study.A new pedestrian
bridge with three lifts forms
part of the new bus-rail interchange to provide universal
access to all patrons.
Universal
Access upgrades
During the year 10 rail/bus interchanges were audited to assess
their compliance with relevant Australian Standards and the
Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport, 2002.
These
upgrades also involve the upgrading of several stations in
the urban network to meet the requirements of the Disability
Discrimination Act including platform modifications to remove
the gap between the platform and railcars, and ramp adjustments
to meet the current standards for disability access. Tactile
ground surface indicators (TSGIs) will also be installed as
part of this project. There is a continuous program of station
upgrade for accessibility. Upgrades at Mosman Park and McIver
stations were completed while TSGIs were installed at Fremantle,
Midland and Bayswater stations.
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Bus
services
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of page
Patronage
For the fifth year in succession, Transperth bus services
recorded an increase in patronage. Total boardings rose by
4.8% to 58.998 million.
A new
passenger count of boardings on Central Area Transit (CAT)
and Free Transit Zone (FTZ) services in Perth was carried
out in March 2004. This survey revealed that, since the last
count in 2000, boardings on CAT services had increased by
50.6% and on FTZ services by 25.1%.
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The impact
of these increases on bus total boardings in 2003/04 has been
taken into account from March 2004.
Fare-paying
boardings on buses continued to increase, rising by 3.1% to
36.284 million in 2003/04. This followed a 4.4% increase in
the previous year.
The increase
in bus total boardings, combined with a 0.3% increase in service
kilometres, resulted in bus total boardings per service kilometre
increasing by 4.5%, from 1.18 to 1.23 in 2003/04.
Reliability
Transperth bus services continued to maintain a high standard
of service reliability. In 2003/04, 92.8% of services met
the reliability target of arriving or departing from a terminus
or timing point no later than four minutes from the scheduled
time. This compares with 92.9% in 2002/03. The result was
achieved despite disruptions caused by roadworks associated
with the New MetroRail project.
Fee
structure
In February 2004, the Transperth fares structure was introduced
on a number of metropolitan
regular public transport services operated by Mindarie Bus
Charter and Kalamunda Bus Service.
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Bus
station improvements
Mandurah Bus Station
Construction was completed on the new station which features
all-weather shelters, a Park nRide facility containing
220 car bays, 19 passenger drop-off points, taxi bays, access-impaired
bays, motorcycle bays, bicycle storage facilities and areas
for regional coach services.
Mandurah
bus depot
The new Mandurah Bus Station is the first stage of the Mandurah
Transit Precinct, which will include the future rail station,
a bus depot and train stowage facilities.
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Mandurah
Bus Station
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This
year, the design and tendering of the Mandurah bus depot was
completed. Construction is expected to be completed by the
end of 2004. The depot will provide a workshop with service
pits, wash-down bay, refuel facilities and parking for 72
buses and cars as well as staff accommodation.
Victoria
Park bus transfer station
Disability access was improved following substantial consultation
with disabled user groups by realigning the main pedestrian
crosswalks, allowing widening of one of the platforms. Safety
was also improved by installing crash barriers on the adjacent
roadways.
Universal
Access upgrades
During the year, 10 bus stations were audited to assess their
compliance with relevant Australian Standards and the Disability
Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002. Survey and
design development was completed for all works required at
the bus stations. Construction works will commence in the
second half of 2004.
Gas-powered
buses
Since 2001, Transperth has required all new buses to be powered
by compressed natural gas engines. The composition of Transperths
bus fleet by fuel type will change significantly when the
delivery of a further 451 new gas-powered buses is completed
by 2011. To service these new buses, Transperth entered into
a contract with Origin Energy in 2003/04 for the supply, installation
and maintenance of gas bus refuelling equipment along with
a 10-year supply of natural gas. Construction of new gas fuelling
facilities has commenced at Morley and Bayswater depots. The
facility at Morley will allow 25 buses per hour to be continuously
fast-filled, replacing an existing 13-year-old slow-fill facility,
while Bayswater will be provided with the capacity to refuel
15 buses per hour. Arrangements have been made for further
gas refuelling facilities to be provided at other Transperth
depots in coming years.
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Ferry
services
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of page
Patronage
The declining trend in ferry patronage that began in 2001/02
continued in 2003/04, when total boardings fell from 477,00
to 465,000, or 2.5%. This followed a 4.4% decline in 2002/03.
Ferry patronage is affected by fluctuations in the tourism
industry.
Declining
patronage on the ferry service resulted in a 3.1% fall in
ferry total boardings per service kilometre, from 13.59 to
13.16 in 2003/04.
Reliability
The ferry operation has maintained a high level of service
reliability, consistently achieving the target of 98.0% of
services arriving and departing within three minutes of the
scheduled time.
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Ferry
approaching Barrack St jetty
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1 The Bassendean Station upgrade was completed
in July 2004. up to Bassendean Station text |
Home
> The Transperth System: Review
of Performance, Bus services and Ferry services
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pdf (178kb)
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Submission
to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure
| Chief Executive
Officers overview
The PTA Executive
| Organisational
structure | The
Transperth system
Regional Town Bus Services
| School Bus Services
| Transwa
Network and Infrastructure
| New
MetroRail project
| People
and Organisational Development
Performance
Indicators (unaudited)
| Compliance
| Compliance
statements
Explanation of
major capital expenditure variations
| The
Electoral Act 1907 Section 175ZE
Audited Key Performance
Indicators
| Certification
of Performance Indicators for the year ended 30 June 2004
Independent Audit Opinion
- Performance Indicators
| Financial
Statements
Notes to the Financial
Statements
| Contact
Details
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Contents in pdf
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