Improving Public Transport in Warrnambool

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Building a Public Transport Culture for
Australia Bus Industry Confederation Michael
Apps July 2006
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- Operators- Chassis Manufacturers- Body
Builders- Ancillary Suppliers
BIC - National Voice of Bus and Coach Industry in
Australia
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BICs Aim is to Influence- Policy Debate and
Development- The Electorate- The Political
Process - Federally - State
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Australias Land Transport Systems are
Unsustainable
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The FactsIncome12 billion approx.
collected in Excise and Registration
FeesCosts Congestion Road Accidents Air
Pollution Noise Emissions Road Damage
Climate Change31 billion- A shortfall of 19
billion per annum
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Funding alone is not an answer- More roads
alone is not ananswer- We need to develop and
build a Public Transport Culture for Australia
The Solution
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A national framework and policies developed in
association with States and Local Government to
deliver the Public Transport system required for
Australia in the future.
The Solution
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Change the behaviour of the Community by
providing Real Travel Options from the Car but
not excluding the Car
The Solution
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What is a Public Transport Culture and How Do We
Deliver it?
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BIC Policy Statement- Access -
awareness/information - frequency/reliability
- convenience - security- Equity- Safety-
Environment- EfficiencyNot just Urban but
Regional
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Public Transport Summit- What is the National
Interest in Public Transport?
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What is Required

• Identify and recognise the National Interest in
  Public Transport.
• Develop and agree a package of Policies that
  delivers access, equity, safety, environment
  efficiency to provide real Travel Choices to the
  Community.
• - Develop a National framework within which
  Public Transport is operated and co-ordinated by
  the Federal and State Governments.

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Rural Regional Young People and Transport

• Improving Access to Transport for young people in
  Rural and Regional Australia
• NATIONAL YOUTH AFFAIRS RESEARCH SCHEME
• January 2005
• Published by Dept of Family and Community Services

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Aim of the Project was to

• - Investigate transport and travel for rural
  and regional young people, to examine successes
  and challenges in improving the provision of
  transport services to young people and to focus
  on viable solutions to their transport needs

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The Study Identified that

• There is poor coverage of research literature
  related to the travel needs of young people in
  Australia and even less concerning those living
  in rural and regional areas.
• Transport research in rural and regional
  Australia tends to focus on freight and long
  distance travel.

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• SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND ISOLATION
• AND
• EQUITABLE ACCESS TO
• MOBILITY CHOICES HAVE HAD LITTLE ATTENTION

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What is Social Exclusion?

• Social exclusion is defined as a short-hand term
  for what can happen when people or areas suffer
  from a combination of linked problems such as
  unemployment, poor skills, low income, poor
  housing, high crime, bad health, family breakdown
  and lack of adequate transport BUT
• - It is not restricted to regional and remote
  areas only.

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Inadequate Transport is said to contribute to
Social Exclusion because

• - It stops people from participating in work,
  learning, health care, food shopping, recreation
  and other community activities.

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This is Compounded in rural and regional
Australia because of

• Low population density
• Small total populations
• Predominantly agriculture
• Non built up areas are predominant
• Areas are geographically isolated and remote

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Further the

• Lack of viable public transport options
• Poor information about facilities and services
  available
• Lack of Co-ordination of existing transport
  services
• And reducing and centralising services increases
  the requirement for travel all of which impact on
  access and social exclusions/isolation

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The Way Forward

• It is clear that lack of transport options
  significantly limit educational employment and
  social opportunities

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• It is clear that a significant proportion of the
  young population of rural and regional Australia
  are at risk of being marginalised in their access
  to activities and opportunities which are more
  freely available to urban communities

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• There is also evidence that this issue is getting
  worse. Rationalisation and centralisation of
  rural services and facilities to major regional
  centres increases the marginalisation of young
  people in the community
• WHAT CAN BE DONE?

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Transport Options To Promote

• Expansion and enhancement of service levels for
  conventional Public Transport Services
  particularly nights, weekends and holidays
• Schemes to assist in training and ownership of
  motor vehicles
• Ridesharing schemes
• Cycling and walk access improvement schemes

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Transport Options To Promote (continued)

• Improved information availability about transport
  to improve access
• Transport subsidy schemes which target reductions
  in travel use costs to specific groups
• Outreach schemes which seek to bring services to
  remoter communities

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Challenges to Government

• Sustainable Funding none of the above transport
  improvements are feasible without financial
  resources
• Targeting needs effectively Effective transport
  improvement options require careful targeting of
  schemes to local needs Local Government is the
  best agent to manage this task

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Challenges to Government (continued)

• National Research Group to address the wider
  knowledge and skills gaps that exist that covers
  a wider group than just young people.
• Better Co-ordination of Commonwealth and State
  Government programs and initiatives to fully
  utilise resources and deliver real transport
  choices

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Improving Public Transport in Warrnambool
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Aim of the study

• To explore travel patterns of transport
  disadvantaged groups and identify priorities to
  improve their accessibility, focusing on the role
  of public transport
• A first step towards understanding the links
  between improved public transport, social
  exclusion and personal wellbeing

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Warrnambool route services
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V/Line routes

• Total 450,000 service kms and carry 50,000
  passengers
• (Plus the train to Melbourne)

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School services

• Various school bus services 600,000 kms/year and
  nearly one million boardings
• School travel accounts for 85 of bus trips, exc.
  V/Line

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Smaller town services

• Portland about 1.2 kms/p.c.
• Port Fairy no service
• Large towns lacking connecting services to
  Warrnambool Mortlake
• Hawkesdale corridor is also short of PT
  connections to Warrnambool

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Community transport

• Plays a very important role
• Numerous providers (e.g. Council, Lyndoch,
  Karingal, Mortlake Community Bus, Terang and
  Mortlake Health Service)
• Some problems in service provision, e.g.
• limited operating times
• narrow eligibility criteria
• low vehicle utilisation
• lack of integration with route and school
  services

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Survey findings route bus users

• Tend to see they have no alternative
• Often travel alone and the trip aids social
  inclusion
• Pensioners and students account for 4/5 tickets
  sold
• Concerns about limited weekend services, short
  span of weekday service hours, the two-hour
  ticket lack of service information

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Young people

• Can be well off or very disadvantaged in
  transport terms
• High car use for school trips
• Non-urban locations and low household income are
  a very restrictive combination
• Particular problems include access to alternative
  educational programs, work and entertainment

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Deakin residential students

• Deakin seeking growth in international and
  regional students
• Very car dependent, esp. outside bus hours
• Car ride sharing common
• Female international students less likely to ask
  for lifts
• Pub night is an opportunity for a PT service

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Seniors

• Significant part of the population
• Strongly car dependent
• Some have a low level of knowledge of PT services
• Lack of preparation for non-driving years
• Those without car availability are at greater
  risk of social exclusion
• Community transport assists

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People with a disability

• Have typically not been part of the car culture
  and have developed alternative mobility options
• e.g. PT, community transport, walking, friends,
  taxis, etc
• Strong support services available
• Those living outside urban Warrnambool face
  greater accessibility difficulties

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People on low incomes

• Car ride sharing common
• More reliant on PT
• - lack of PT for work trips an issue
• Those living away from route services face
  greater problems
• Young single mothers are at risk of social
  exclusion
• Two hour tickets an issue, as is paying for
  student yearly passes in one payment

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Major employers

• Not a major PT market
• lack of peak hour service
• Shift times often not aligned with PT services
• Some opportunities to develop these markets
• Partnerships needed

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Indigenous community

• Has a well functioning community bus service
• Tend to feel uncomfortable using PT
• Car use/safety is an issue among some young
• Familiarisation programs on PT should be tried

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Other issues

• Rurally isolated lack of alternatives mean that
  all transport disadvantaged groups are likely to
  face problems
• Tourism not well integrated into the route bus
  service

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Key issue accessibility planning

• Personal transport is about meeting accessibility
  needs and fostering social inclusion
• Service delivery is typically structured around
  modes rather than around meeting peoples needs
  for access
• PT/school bus/community transport services
  operate in isolation, rather than as a single
  service delivery system
• Someone needs to own accessibility!!!

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Accessibility planning (cont.)

• Regional Accessibility Planning Councils should
  be established to undertake needs assessments and
  propose improvements
• Regional transport resources should be managed in
  a more co-ordinated way to meet such needs (e.g.
  making better use of school and community buses)

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Major recommendations

• PT service enhancements
• Marketing of PT services
• Regulatory reform
• State level transport planning

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(1) PT service enhancements

• Increase route bus service frequency/span
• Extend service to growth suburbs
• Provide pub night service for Deakin students
• Trial route/tourist service in Port Fairy
• Introduce twice weekly services plus Sat. Night
  from Mortlake and Hawkesdale to Warrnambool
• Trial charter bus services to special events at
  Deakin
• USE IT OR LOSE IT!!!

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(2) Marketing

• Implement an expanded program in Wbool
• Provide enhanced customer service training to
  drivers (generally very highly regarded)
• Provide awareness programs for seniors
• Run familiarisation program with Indigenous
  Community
• Extend transport concessions to international
  students and careers

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(2) Marketing (cont)

• Allow time-purchase of student yearly passes
• Change 2 hour route service ticket to 3 hours
• Include marketing incentives in route bus
  contracts

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(3) Regulatory reform

• Provide greater flexibility in use of school
  buses by non-students
• Provide DDA exemption from school buses providing
  route services in areas without such service

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(4) System planning

• Encourage school/tertiary communities to develop
  Sustainable Travel Plans
• Establish Regional Accessibility Planning
  Councils to identify and prioritise accessibility
  needs
• Focus all State/Federal transport related funding
  (e.g. HACC) through DOI

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What now?

• Promote the report to the regional community,
  Local and State Government
• Seek State and Local Government support to
  implement its recommendations in this region as a
  demonstration of what might be possible
• Then encourage public transport use!