review of performance
Service reliability
Transperth changed the method of gathering data for its reliability performance in January 2007. More precise methods replaced the physical/staff-based assessments used previously, which resulted in a significant impact on outcomes.
Trains: The target for Transperth train services in 2007/08 was for 95 per cent of services to arrive within four minutes of the scheduled time. The result was 90.3 per cent of services meeting the target, compared with 86.4 per cent in 2006/07. It should be noted that up to 2006/07, the on-time target for train operations was for 95 per cent of trains to arrive within three minutes of the scheduled time. The target was changed in 2007/08 to take account of increased journey times and to ensure consistency across Transperth operations and with other Australian rail operators.
The inability to achieve 95 per cent on-time arrivals in 2007/08 was caused by longer dwell times at stations during peak periods due to increased patronage, the training of new drivers for Mandurah Line operations, system faults and failures, railcar faults and failures, and weather conditions.
Buses: The service reliability target for Transperth buses is to never depart from a terminus or travel through a mid-way timing point early, or more than four minutes later than the scheduled time.
In 2007/08 Transperth used the SmartRider’s GPS reporter functionality to monitor bus OTR for the full year. Monitoring is based on a random sample of one per cent of trips in each of the bus contract areas (a substantial number, given there are more than 10,000 bus trips on a typical weekday). No other public transport jurisdiction in Australia has the technology and capacity to provide this precise level of automated checking of bus services.
The use of this precise measure has provided a more accurate picture of bus on-time performance. In 2007/08, 82.6 per cent of bus services operated within the four-minute tolerance period compared with 85.9 per cent in 2006/07. It should be noted that, in the first six months of 2006/07, when Transperth inspectors monitored OTR through physical checks, 92.6 per cent of services met the reliability target. With the checks run by GPS in the second half of the year, the figure fell to an average 81.5 per cent. Therefore, the 2007/08 result actually represents a marginal improvement. During the year, timetabled running times were extended, as required, to deal with the growing impact of traffic congestion on bus service reliability. However, this proved to be a constant catch-up process and the bus contractors had to bear the cost of congestion. In the longer term, more bus priority measures will be needed in Perth to keep bus travel times competitive with the option of car travel and to encourage sustainable transport behaviour.
Ferries: The target for the Transperth ferry is for services to arrive within three minutes of the scheduled time. In 2007/08, using GPS tracking to run the checks, 99.2 per cent of services met the reliability target, compared with 100 per cent in 2006/07.
Trends in patronage
Patronage on the Transperth system increased for the ninth year in succession. The most significant feature of the year’s result was the exceptional growth rate on the Transperth train network following the start of services on the Mandurah Line.
In 2007/08, total boardings on the Transperth system increased by 7.8 per cent from 100.926 million in 2006/07 to 108.794 million, while initial boardings recorded an increase of 8.5 per cent to 80.588 million from 74.260 million. Farepaying boardings rose 10.1 per cent from 61.980 million to 68.231 million.
All fare-paying boardings are recorded accurately, with SmartRider furthering the capability to report on fare-paying boardings precisely and quickly. On average, around 62 per cent of passenger boardings now occur with passengers using SmartRider, View image and therefore transfers (which are not fare-paying boardings) are also recorded. Though Transperth is still required to estimate transfers for cash ticket passengers, the SmartRider data provides an accurate model of passenger behaviour on which to base these estimates. Previously, cash transfers to bus and ferry were manually recorded by drivers using the on-board ticket-issuing machines, while MultiRider (the previous ticketing system) transfers were recorded on ticket validating machines on buses and at the ferry jetties. On the train network, cash and MultiRider transfers were determined using a factor derived from the 2005 video count of passengers. This estimation process for cash ticket transfers has been replaced since July 2007 with the much more accurate modelling available with SmartRider.
With regard to longer-term trends, over the period 2003/04 to 2007/08, total boardings on the Transperth system increased by 20.1 per cent, at an average annual rate of 4.7 per cent, while fare-paying boardings rose 22.9 per cent, at an average annual rate of 5.3 per cent. During this period, total boardings on buses increased at an average annual rate of 2.7 per cent, and on trains at an average annual rate of 8.2 per cent. The average annual rate of increase in fare-paying boardings during the period was 2.1 per cent for bus and 10.9 per cent for train. Patronage on the Transperth ferry service, which had achieved significant gains in 2005/06 and 2006/07, fell sharply in 2007/08 with total boardings declining by 15 per cent and fare-paying boardings by five per cent. The change in the methodology for the calculation of transfers (i.e. the change from manual recording to a system based on SmartRider tracking) had a significant adverse impact on ferry boarding statistics.
Total capacity provided on the Transperth system expressed in terms of passenger place kilometres continued to increase. In 2007/08, Transperth provided total capacity amounting to 8243.3 million passenger place kilometres, an increase of 25 per cent on the 6595.7 million recorded in 2006/07.
On a per-capita basis, public transport usage within the Perth metropolitan area in 2007/08 increased to 49.7 initial boardings from 48.7 in 2006/07. The population of the City of Mandurah was added to the Perth Statistical Division for the 2007/08 calculation, to take account of Mandurah Line operations for six months of the year. With Mandurah included, the population used to calculate per capita usage increased by 6.3 per cent compared to 2006/07, while the increase in per capita usage was 2.1 per cent.
Marketing of the service
In 2007/08, the Transperth Marketing team successfully undertook the following initiatives:
- Carried out a large-scale information exercise to ensure that existing and new users of Transperth services were aware of the new Mandurah Line and feeder bus network.
- Advised passengers about changes to the Joondalup Line feeder bus services, as train times on the Joondalup Line changed in preparation for the new Mandurah Line services.
- During the week-long shutdown to connect the new Mandurah Line to the Joondalup Line, which affected Joondalup Line and Fremantle Line services, effectively communicated the shutdown, View image advising passengers and non-users of the disruption and alternative transport options.
- Developed a campaign to discourage graffiti on the Transperth network and encourage passengers to report graffiti to a special Office of Crime Prevention telephone number.
- Launched 136213.mobi, a new Transperth website specifically for Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) enabled mobile phones, which allows passengers to use their phone to check service times, SmartRider balances and the latest Transperth news.
- The community education team made more than 170 Get on Board presentations to a broad range of community groups, including seniors, people with disabilities, migrants and school children, to help them understand how the Transperth system works, and to encourage them to use public transport.
- In an effort to ease congestion at Park ‘n’ Ride facilities on the Mandurah and Joondalup lines, conducted an education campaign to encourage passengers to catch a bus, walk or ride a bike to the station.
- Continued to work with major sporting organisations as well as event organisers to ensure that Mandurah Line services were accommodated in plans for their special events.
Disability access
Transperth aims to provide universal access to its bus, train and ferry system, so that the wider community (including people with disabilities and parents with prams) can access services and facilities. In 2007/08, further progress was made towards achieving this objective, as reflected below.
Trains: All Transperth trains are universally accessible. The key accessibility issue is whether access to the station and the gap between train and platform meet accessibility standards. Currently, nearly 50 per cent of train stations provide independent access to people with disabilities and parents with prams.
| Independent Access* | Partial Access** | Limited Access** | Total stations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2003/04 |
11 |
33 |
12 |
56 |
|
2004/05 |
15 |
31 |
12 |
58 |
|
2005/06 |
16 |
31 |
12 |
59 |
|
2006/07 |
23 |
26 |
10 |
59 |
|
2007/08 |
34 |
25 |
10 |
69 |
* Complies with the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport and Guidelines under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992
** Assistance available from Transperth customer service staff
Buses: Transperth continued its long-term program of increasing the number of accessible buses in its fleet with the purchase of 72 new low-floor accessible Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered buses View image as part of the Daimler Chrysler bus supply agreement. As at 30 June 2008, the number of accessible buses was 686 out of a total fleet of 1124 buses (61 per cent), compared with 616 out of 1114 (55 per cent) a year earlier.
Preference is given to operating accessible buses whenever possible so that in off-peak periods most of the buses in service are accessible. During peak periods, when service demand is high, both accessible and non-accessible buses are fully committed. Accessible buses accounted for 71 per cent of service kilometres in 2007/08, up from 66 per cent in 2006/07.
During the year, seven diesel low-floor buses View image were transferred to regional towns, part of the State’s public transport system managed by the PTA. The PTA has a responsibility to ensure the services offered in these regional towns meet the federal requirement of accessible bus fleets. To replace these seven buses, seven new CNG buses were procured for the Transperth fleet. The buses transferred to regional towns this year form part of a program for 41 buses allocated to regional areas over a four-year period.
Transperth continued its program of upgrading accessibility at bus stations and bus/train interchanges to meet the requirements of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport Amendment 2004 (No. 1). During the year, upgrading of tactile paving was completed at Esplanade Busport, Wellington Street Bus Station, Kalamunda Bus Station and Canning Bridge Station. Duress alarms were installed in disabled toilets at the following stations – Armadale, Booragoon, Cannington, Esplanade, Glendalough, Joondalup, Kwinana, Midland, Mirrabooka, Morley, Stirling, Warwick and Whitfords. Additional lighting was provided at Esplanade Busport as well as Braille signage in lifts. A complete refurbishment of Karrinyup Bus Station was completed to provide improved lighting, seating and tactile paving at surface level and on the ramps from the shopping complex. Work commenced on a similar refurbishment at Kalamunda Bus Station.
Ferries: The bulk of Transperth’s ferry services are provided by the Shelley Taylor-Smith, View image an accessible vessel. The second ferry which is used for limited services, the Countess, is not accessible and is to be replaced, with expected delivery of a new accessible ferry in the latter half of 2009. When delivered, the new ferry will be the primary vessel. The two jetties used for Transperth ferry services during the year, at Barrack Street in Perth and Mends Street in South Perth, meet the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport Amendment 2004 (No. 1).
Service coverage
Transperth aims to maximise the number of people in the community who have ready access to its services. Service coverage is measured in terms of the proportion of Property Street Addresses (PSA) within the Perth Public Transport Area that are less than 500m from a Transperth stop (bus, train, or ferry) providing an ASL. An ASL is defined as an hourly service during the day with at least three trips, i.e. at 20-minute intervals, in the peak flow direction in the morning and afternoon peaks.
In 2007/08, 78.3 per cent of PSAs were within 500m of an ASL stop compared with 74 per cent in 2006/07, an increase of 5.8 per cent. This was largely due to the introduction of the Mandurah Line, which saw a nine per cent increase in the number of Transperth stops from 11,852 in May 2007 to 12,882 in May 2008, and a 12.2 per cent increase in the number of ASL stops from 5969 to 6698.
Passenger satisfaction
Transperth’s annual customer survey, the PSM, showed that in 2008, on a system-wide basis, 82.4 per cent of survey respondents expressed satisfaction with the overall level of service compared with 83 per cent in 2007. (Details of passenger satisfaction with train, bus and ferry services are included in individual mode reports).
SmartRider project and system ticketing
While other major Australian cities are aiming for a smartcard-based ticketing product, passenger take-up of Transperth’s SmartRider ticketing system increased even further in 2007/08. In June 2008, SmartRider accounted for 65.1 per cent of fare-paying boardings on bus, 68.3 per cent on train and 32.3 per cent on ferry services, compared with 56.8, 61.1 and 22.8 per cent respectively a year earlier. On an annual basis, SmartRider accounted for an average of 61.9 per cent of fare-paying boardings for the system as a whole, with the share in each mode as follows: bus 61.3 per cent, train 63.3 per cent, and ferry 25.2 per cent.
The high take-up rate of SmartRider contrasts sharply with the more moderate share achieved by its predecessor, MultiRider. MultiRider recorded a peak of 49 per cent of fare-paying boardings, its highest share, in 2004/05, the last full year it was in use.
During the year, a contract was awarded to Downer EDI Engineering to install state-of-the-art cash ticket vending machines (TVMs) View image at train stations on the new Mandurah Line, and at other stations and ferry terminals as replacements for existing machines reaching the end of their useful life. The touch-screen on the new machines allows passengers to buy a ticket by either typing in their destination suburb or by touching the zone button, assisting patrons to pay the correct fare. While all machines accept coins, some machines are able to accept banknotes and EFTPOS debit cards, giving passengers more payment options when buying tickets.
A total of 152 new TVMs were installed at 51 of the 70 stations on the train network. It is envisaged that all train stations and ferry terminals on the Transperth system will have the new TVMs installed and operating by October 2008.