Introduction to your Annual Report

The Public Transport Authority of Western Australia (PTA), which was formed on 1 July 2003, is responsible for the operation of all bus, train and ferry public transport services in the greater metropolitan area under the Transperth brand. It also operates public transport services in regional centres, operates road coach and rail passenger services to regional areas under the Transwa brand, and administers and manages school bus services.

In addition to operating these transport services, the PTA is responsible for designing, building and maintaining public transport infrastructure and for protecting the long-term viability of Western Australia’s freight rail corridor and infrastructure.

The PTA delivers public transport services seven days a week and in some cases up to 24 hours a day.

As at 30 June 2009, the PTA had 1377 employees spread across the metropolitan area, from Nowergup in the north to Mandurah in the south and Midland in the east, as well as in major regional centres such as Albany, Bunbury, Esperance, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie.

The PTA’s purpose

To increase the use of public transport through the provision of customer-focussed, safe and cost-effective passenger transport services.

The PTA’s aim

To make public transport an attractive and sustainable choice for connecting people and places.

The PTA’s values

The people of the PTA:

  • value and respect customers, suppliers and each other.
  • are committed to safety.
  • encourage each other to reach their full potential.
  • are honest and exhibit high levels of integrity, openness and ethical behaviour.
  • recognise and reward achievement, initiative and innovation.
  • strive for continuous improvement in everything they do.
  • are environmentally responsible.

In this report, the PTA fulfils its reporting obligation by identifying the relevant strategic outcomes and the contribution the PTA has made to them in 2008/09 through:

Measuring effectiveness and efficiency

To make its contribution to the Government’s vision for Western Australia, the PTA has targetted two outcomes:

  1. An accessible, reliable and safe public transport system
  2. Protection of the long-term functionality of the railway corridor and railway infrastructure

The PTA’s indicators of success in achieving the first of these outcomes are based on patronage and service provision, accessibility, reliability, customer satisfaction, safety and cost-efficiency. Its indicators of success in achieving the second of these outcomes are based on quality management of the railway corridor and residual issues of the rail freight network. Note that the rail freight network was leased to private sector operators in 2000.

Customer Service Charter

The PTA is a customer service-oriented organisation, responsible for the delivery of efficient and sustainable passenger transport services to the public. It operates under the following Customer Service Charter:

  • The PTA is committed to providing a quality passenger transport service to the public.
  • Our bus, train and ferry staff and contractors are focussed on delivering safe and reliable services.
  • Our staff and contractors will treat customers in a respectful and professional manner.
  • Our buses, trains, ferries and facilities will be clean and well presented.
  • Current information about all PTA services will be available from customer service staff, brochures, timetables, our call centres and our website.
  • The PTA will plan and review passenger transport services in consultation with the community to get the best results.
  • The PTA will plan and provide transport systems that respect the environment and improve sustainability.
  • To help us improve our services we value your feedback on our PTA CommentLine, 13 16 08, or via our websites, www.pta.wa.gov.au, www.transperth.wa.gov.au or www.transwa.wa.gov.au for specific PTA business.

PTA achievements

The PTA’s major achievements in 2008/09 were:

  • Public transport boardings on the Transperth system continued to record excellent growth. Total boardings increased 18.4 per cent to 128.784 million, while fare-paying boardings rose 12.1 per cent to 76.467 million.
  • On 4 April 2009, WA seniors, aged and disability pensioners were allowed free travel on weekdays from 9am to 3.30pm and all day Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. During the first three months, this resulted in approximately 1.6 million boardings.
  • The installation of the Recording and Passenger Information Dissemination (RAPID) system on all A-series trains was completed. RAPID increases the number of railcar security cameras, provides passenger information displays in railcars, bright LED destination indicators and improved message announcements.
  • The PTA took delivery of the first nine railcars (three 3-car sets) of the 45 B-series railcars on order. As a result, timetables for the Joondalup, Mandurah, Midland and Fremantle lines were amended from 28 June 2009.
  • Following the extension of the rail network in 2007/08, train service kilometres increased a further 19.7 per cent to 14.531 million.
  • Total capacity provided on the train network continued to increase, with an increase of 22.6 per cent to 5641.3 million place kilometres.
  • Transperth bus service improvements during the year included - the introduction of Route 79 (linking Wellington Street Bus Station (WSBS) and QEII - via the Esplanade Busport and UWA), Route 407 (linking Glendalough Station and the Herdsman Business Park) and improved evening peak and peak shoulder services on local feeder buses serving the Joondalup Line.
  • Transperth opened the new Welshpool bus depot (1 July 2008), and purchased the Beckenham bus depot (1 March 2009).
  • Total service kilometres operated by the Transperth bus network increased by 2.1 per cent. In the five-year period to 30 June 2009, bus service kilometres have increased by seven per cent.
  • On 3 May 2009, a new Transperth ferry - the MV Phillip Pendal - commenced service. The new vessel replaced the MV Countess II and becomes Transperth primary vessel.
  • The Transwa Passenger Satisfaction Monitor (PSM) continued to show excellent overall satisfaction levels for Transwa trains: Prospector (96 per cent); Australind (92 per cent) and AvonLink (94 per cent).
  • The annual rail safety compliance audit conducted by the Office of Rail Safety (ORS) identified two non-compliances and 24 observations. All issues identified at audit were addressed and closed out by 20 March 2009.
  • The PTA’s graduate recruitment program continued to attract high-calibre applicants and 11 graduates were recruited in 2008/09.
  • The PTA has been one of the first Centre for Excellence and Innovation in Infrastructure Delivery (CEIID) agencies to implement the Project Management Framework, value management and procurement options guidelines in order to improve the planning and delivery of infrastructure projects.