Public Transport Operating Model leading to poorer public transport services? TransportBlog has several posts on PTOM such as this one. transportblog.co.nz/2011/02/21/finally-we-learn-something-about-ptom/ Basically as we learn from that post the Labour Government in 2008 passed new legislation, the Public Transport Management Act – which among other things has restricted bus companies from running competing route designed to cherrypick the most profitable routes by competing against subsidised operators. In Christchurch such commercial routes were often started by an operator which lost a tender for a route they previously held, and resulted in examples like the commercial Airport route, the route 35 (competing with 28 Lyttelton) and route 40 (competing with 5 New Brighton). Over time the operators (both Redbus and Leopard) were able to persuade Ecan to turn these into subsidised operations. When this legislation was brought in not long before the 2008 election the new National government was asked by some of the bus operators to review it – presumably they were unhappy with the measures that were designed to limit the cherrypicking - so then the PTMA was changed into the PTOM model which of course is supposedly better, however undeniably it is more commercially focused and pushes the emphasis back in the direction of less subsidy and more commerciality to the services. This post here transportblog.co.nz/2012/04/03/ptom-a-step-in-the-right-or-wrong-direction/ questions the amount of exempt services in Auckland which have been decreed as staying fully commercial and which will not be operated under the PTOM model at any point. This really makes a joke because it assumes these services are accessible to all as long as they are turning a commercial profit – there is no need to look at whether they actually provide a reasonable standard of service. I think the very important question is whether this PTOM is responsible for the declining quality of the bus services in Christchurch – certainly these have come about since National was elected. There have even been suggestions very recently that taxis should be subsidised to carry passengers on parts of the Christchurch network. Now Wellington Regional Council is calling tenders for its train services similar to how Auckland Council has been contracting out its passenger operations for a number of years – currently with Transdev. Up until now the Wellington services have been operated by Kiwirail. This is the first time Greater Wellington Regional Council has tendered the services in Wellington – since they have spent the last 8 years taking over the suburban network. Whether PTOM is relevant or not – what is undeniably the case is that public transport has been forced by National to become more commercially focused and this is naturally going to lead to concerns that the Wellington services will result in a cut to the standard of the services and also attempt to cut wages and conditions of the staff who operate them. This is all in line with National’s general approach to public services – all that matters is opportunities for big business to run them at the public expense and not the standard or quality of the services or paying a decent wage to the people who operate them.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 02:30:32 +0000
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