Chief Executive Officer’s overview
As we move into a new decade, it is sobering to consider the breakneck pace at which technology changed in the past 10 years. Even more daunting is the realisation that this rapid evolution will continue, and organisations which fail to keep up will suffer.The Public Transport Authority has an excellent record of changing with the times and staying ahead of the game without sacrificing performance standards, reliability or customer service. Outstanding examples of this include the introduction of SmartRider, still the only fully-operational smartcard-based ticketing system in Australia, our world-leading security CCTV and monitoring system, our use of the internet and SMS technology to keep our customers informed, the continued success of the Mandurah Line and a continuing drip-feed of new railcars at a time when other transport agencies all over the world were caught short by a big surge in demand. The ongoing growth in overall patronage - though our regional operations slipped slightly - is a testament to our vision, as are the very high satisfaction levels of Transperth and Transwa customers.
We continued on this path throughout 2009/10.
Transperth followed up its SMS service (bus or train timetabled arrival times at individual stops and stations can be sent direct to your mobile phone in seconds) with a new service which allows passengers to view live train times online or via a WAP-enabled mobile, and launched a website module through which passengers can find out online how to access their station and what facilities it provides.
There were significant upgrades on our key websites - those for the PTA, Transperth, Transwa and School Bus Services - so that our customers can more quickly and easily retrieve information such as train running times and bookings. Our IT branch also further enhanced customer interface systems such as back-office SmartRider - the flexibility of the SmartRider system design was a key factor in the outstanding success of our free weekend and off-peak travel entitlement for seniors and other pensioners. We also were able to expand SmartRider services to Busselton.
Other instances where we are using technology to improve the quality of our services include a platform detection system to ensure railcar doors don’t open if they are not opposite a platform; computerised SBS vehicle inspection records; and state-of-the-art ticket vending machines at stations.
We completed the resleepering of the urban branch lines; upgraded the bus facilities at Kalamunda and Karrinyup and the platform at Kalgoorlie; and continued with a major program to provide extra parking at stations along the Mandurah and Joondalup lines. Other key achievements are listed in the at-a-glance “snapshot” of the PTA on page 5.
Our most important asset is our people and I was proud to be part of a highly-successful employee workshop in March, from which came onePTA, a broad-based initiative to promote a unified culture and values, and an even better workplace.
In March 2010 the Government released a tender for a 10-year contract to supply Transperth with at least 65 new buses a year, starting when the current arrangement concludes in June 2011. The new contract will keep us at the forefront of the Australian industry in terms of disability access and environmental friendliness. Negotiations with a preferred tenderer are expected to start in the first half of 2010-11.
Two important pieces of enabling legislation were introduced into State Parliament during the year: The Railway (Butler to Brighton) Bill 2009 and the Railway (Tilley to Karara) Bill 2010. The former relates to the $240 million, 7.5km extension of the Joondalup Line to a new interchange station and Park ‘n’ Ride facility at Butler. Passenger services are expected to start by the end of 2014. The latter relates to construction of a 75km publicly-owned iron ore railway in WA’s Mid-West region. The line will be designed, built and operated by Karara Mining Ltd under the oversight of the PTA. Work is expected to start in the first half of 2010-11.
It was a year of change at the PTA.
Our People and Organisational Development division was restructured and we created the Infrastructure Planning and Land Services division, the Strategic Asset Management Development branch and the Major Projects Unit, as a result of which there were several additions to the PTA Executive. There was also a major change in my role.
In an overview to the 2003 annual report of the Western Australian Government Railways Commission, the last before the Public Transport Authority came into being on 1 July the same year, I wrote: “Public transport is about to embark on a bright new future in Western Australia.”
Those words are as valid today as they were seven years ago.
At that time, I was alluding to the consolidation into a single agency of the operations of WAGRC and Transperth to form a unified public transport provider - a fully-integrated model which has become a benchmark for other transport agencies in Australia and overseas.
A similarly-significant step was taken towards the end of the latest year when Transport Minister Simon O’Brien announced the creation of the new position of Director General - Transport to head up the key agencies of Main Roads WA, the Department of Transport and the PTA, integrating and enhancing the coordination of the State’s transport operations, regulatory functions and policy development.
I was offered this position and took up the role from 3 May. The day-to-day operations of the PTA are now overseen by Mark Burgess, who has stepped up from his role as Executive Director - Transperth, Regional and School Bus Services and is, at year’s-end, Acting Managing Director of the organisation.
I now take a more holistic view of the key role that transport plays in our State’s continued strong economic growth, and especially of the considerable benefits offered by a cohesive, integrated approach to the planning, management and operation of WA’s transport requirements.
However, I remain firmly committed to the belief that public transport is one of the easiest and most effective ways in which the average West Australian can make a significant contribution to a sustainable future. In a year of change, this has remained the constant - the challenge for all of us is to encourage further growth in the use of public transport by continuing to make it an attractive alternative to the private car.
Reece Waldock
Chief Executive Officer