Privatisation caused service drop
Driver shortages should have been better predicted and managed, the NSW Bus Industry Taskforce has found in its initial report on the privatisation of bus services.
The taskforce found that the North Shore region, which stretches from the North Shore, through Ryde and as far as Paramatta, was one of the highest affected by shortages.
The Lower North Shore has one of the highest demands for buses, the report states.
The taskforce also found that bus services has deteriorated most in areas where bus companies were privatised and new operators didn’t understand their customers.
It said the public transport information and priority system (PTIPS), supposed to provide customers with ‘real-time’ schedule information, was ‘inefficient’ and ‘inaccurate,’ therefore unable to manage service interruptions.
While funding is sought to upgrade the PTIPS, the taskforce suggested that a technology and data roadmap should be developed which documents improvements needed for the whole bus service value chain. This includes how onboard passenger displays are used, following recent trials on 160x services between Chatswood and Dee Why.
The Taskforce found that the previous State Government’s promise of growth funding for bus services had not been delivered, with more focus on other transport infrastructure rather than buses.
The taskforce said that the concept of an ‘all day frequent network’ should be developed and expanded, considering the recent success of the Northern Beaches B-Line. The aim would be to eliminate the reliance on a timetable as passengers assume the bus will arrive regularly, the taskforce said.
Taskforce chairman John Lee said that Transport for NSW (TfNSW) ‘struggled with an organisational structure that makes it hard to know who is accountable for improving services’.
A restructuring of TfNSW was recommended to create leadership accountability.
“They need a bus champion who can take responsibility for getting things back on track,” Mr Lee said.
NSW Minister for Transport Jo Haylen has instructed TfNSW to begin working on a plan to implement the recommendations.
“The Taskforce report is clear that on-time running and reliability has deteriorated over recent years, and passengers expect and demand a better service,” Ms Haylen said.
The Bus Taskforce will present a second report on 10 October with a final report due by 1 May, 2024.