Important Feed Back Required From US - NSW IPART On Rural and Regional Bus Fares Sought 1/1/2018

We are getting a public transport fare increase regulated by NSW IPART* on the 1st July 2017. Click here for details To add to it, NSW IPART is reviewing  Public Transport Fares and seeking public submission, within the next week.

So this is a chance for you to have your say. They have a survey  for you to complete or  provide a submission.

Click here to make submission to NSW IPART on Public Transport Fares

Most important Factor is:
Planning framework for public transport services in regional areas
The Government’s planning framework for providing public transport services comprises five elements:  

• NSW Long Term Transport Master Plan,(a) which sets a 20-year framework for the NSW Government to deliver an integrated, modern transport system that puts the customer first and identifies key transport challenges facing regional NSW.  
• Regional Transport Plans,(b)  which provide a strategic direction for the delivery of transport infrastructure and services in 10 regions across NSW over the next 20 years.  Informed by local input, the plans outline a package of actions to address the specific challenges of each region.  
• Public Transport Service Planning Guidelines for Rural and Regional NSW,(c) which provide for short and medium term service planning by Transport for NSW across government funded bus, coach and train services.  
• Rural and Regional Passenger Transport Servicing Principles,(d) which inform improvements to services and ensure that service planning meets the changing travel needs of customers.  The servicing principles are access, flexibility, connectivity, legibility, timeliness, information provision and efficiency.   Guidelines for Public Transport Service Planning,(e) which support the planning and development of public transport services and focus on four key areas – service capacity, service coverage, service provision and service performance.
   

Editor:
 This is my answer to the survey they ask you to complete for question 10:

Within Mount Druitt, we required 100% air-conditioned buses for summer and heated for winter also we should not be paying for increased fares when all, when we do not have early and late bus services on weekends and also limited services, early in the morning and late at night during the week. We do not need more commuter car parks, we need more efficient timed bus services in peak times, that encourages commuters to catch buses. Lack of such mentioned services should be mean reduced fares.  We should be paying fares based on services provided compared to Eastern suburbs and North Shore suburbs.

*NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal

What Areas Do Our Bus Route Numbers Cover In Sydney - 'whyilovemountdruitt' Face Book Group

Lester, a member of our 'whyilovemountdruitt' Face Book Group has been previously providing us with historical Facts, in relation o public transport.

Just recently, Lester has been providing us facts on which areas are cover by Sydney Bus Route numbers:

Lester Pasley

· May 4 at 1:19pm · Villawood

If you wondered about how bus routes numbers are organised they follow a geographic area. The current Sydney wide bus routes date to 1981 and replaced the 1924 scheme which had separate numbers for Government and Private buses. The current bus route allocations covering both Government and Private buses are:
1 - 99 Special Events and Trackwork services
100 - 199 Manly Warringah area
200 - 299 North Shore line
300 - 399 Eastern Suburbs
400 - 499 Inner West & Inner South West
500 - 599 Inner North West
600 - 699 Outer North West
700 - 799 Outer West (from Parramatta westwards)
800 - 899 Outer South West (Parramatta - Campbelltown)
900 - 999 Mid South West (Parramatta - Hurstville - Cronulla)
Regional areas have a separate numbering scheme e.g. Blue Mountains are in the 600 series and Queanbeyan in the 800 series.

So Further Reports How Mount Druitt Area- Bus Region 1 - Is Behind Compared To Sydney City Bus Regions!

Where we are told by Busways that currently that are complying to 55% of accessible buses, we in NSW Bus Region 1 are behind the times compared to Bus Region 6,7,8 and 9 - All Sydney City Bus Regions.

Their  !ratio according to Sydney Bus Information 
Home Page - Quarterly Performance Information they are up to 86.9% of accessible buses for NSW Bus Regions 6,7,8 and 9.

Yet, according to Feed back from Busways they are up to 55% compliant for accessible buses in NSW Bus  Region 1.

That is we are 31.9% behind the times - all NSW Bus regions , should be compliant at the same rate as others, not make others more compliant then others less fortunate! I do think someone needs to get answers for us and raise the ratio of accessible buses to an equal percentage.

Refer to State Member of Mount Druitt response

You can see from the table below that accessible buses in Sydney City Regions 6,7,8 and 9, that accessible bus ratios have increased per quarter. Maybe we need a quarterly performance Report from Busways easily accessible on the web as well:

State Transit Fleet

The number of buses in the State Transit fleet, as of 30 September 2015 was 2,161.

Over the past 12 months, with the introduction of new buses and the retirement of older vehicles, the overall number of wheelchair-accessible and air-conditioned buses in the fleet increased by 86.

Under the Sydney Metropolitan and Outer Metropolitan Bus Service Contracts, the average age of the State Transit fleet should be no more than 12 years. As of the 30 September 2015, the average age of the State Transit bus fleet was 10.1 years.

Table: State Transit fleet

	Sept Quarter 2015	June Quarter 2015	Sept Quarter 2014
Total number buses	2,161	2,162	2,159
Wheelchair accessible	1,878 (86.9%)	1,851 (85.6%)	1,792 (83% of fleet)
Air-conditioned	2,131 (98.6%)	2,104 (97.3%)	2, 045 (94.7% of fleet)
Average fleet age	10.1 years	10.1 years	10.04 years