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Bus Express
Friday May 25, 2018
Dear members,
Last week, there was a second debate in parliament about the disastrous Newcastle bus timetable changes.
The debate was triggered by the petition that tens of thousands of commuters signed opposing the timetable changes implemented by the Keolis Downer in January. The first debate (held in April) highlighted the myriad of problems the new timetable has caused commuters and workers in the region. Thursday’s debate highlighted even more.
Newcastle is the perfect example of why privatisation doesn’t work, yet our Transport Minister is continuing to push his privatisation agenda in other areas of the state, like in region six.
Bus privatisation results in fewer stops, less buses and longer journey times. All of a sudden, the needs of the commuter are secondary to the private operator’s need to turn a profit. We’ve seen more evidence of that today, with a local Labor MP raising concerns that Keolis Downer is chopping up the bus network and forcing passengers to swap services in order to get its per-passenger incentive payments from the government.
Thank you to everyone who joined us at parliament on Thursday to hear first-hand why privatisation is a disaster. The battle against privatisation continues…
In Solidarity,
Chris Preston and Dave Woollams
Labor says Keolis Downer contract encourages shorter bus routes in Newcastle
Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison has accused the state government of encouraging Keolis Downer to “chop up” Newcastle’s bus network by offering it per-passenger incentive payments.
The company said in March that its passenger numbers were up 4.9 per cent in January. But Hunter Labor MPs have argued that the company has divided some direct routes into two and sometimes three separate services under a new network introduced in January.
Sydney buses: One-in-10 services regularly late in some suburbs
Sydney’s commuters are suffering because of poor timetabling and under resourcing by this NSW Government.
RTBU NSW Bus & Tram Division President, Dave Woollams said, “Minister Constance’s greedy privatisation scheme is only going to make Sydney’s bus congestion worse. We’ve already seen the plans to slash Inner-West bus stops when Transit Systems begins on July 1 this year, and there’s no doubt that they will cut routes, close bus stops and reduce services in order to make a profit out of our public services. The answer is investing in our public transport services, not selling it off.”
Check out RTBU NSW Bus & Tram Division Secretary Chris Preston speaking to Channel 9 News here.
Gladys Berejiklian sets 18-month deadline to fix congestion woes
The NSW Premier has been in the media this week, talking up her plan to fix Sydney's congestion issues. This story comes from a Government who are already running far behind schedule and soaring over budget on every project that they get their hands on.
Chris Preston, RTBU NSW Bus & Tram Division Secretary said, “This is just an attempt to convince voters that the NSW Liberal Government is doing something about our shocking congestion here in Sydney. But instead of fixing and investing in our public transport, they are selling it off to private companies at every chance they get. Whether it’s the privatisation of Sydney’s Inner-West buses the privatisation of Newcastle’s buses, or the closures of major rail lines along Epping to Chatswood and Sydenham to Bankstown, or even the mismanagement of Sydney’s train timetable; Sydney commuters are getting the raw end of the deal at every turn. This Government are only creating more havoc for Sydney commuters, not less.”
SMH: Second firm takes legal action over light rail
The disaster that is Sydney’s light rail project demonstrates Andrew Constance’s complete incompetence and recklessness. Not only is the project (a single light rail line down one street) billions over budget it is running years overdue, inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders every day. Now, another company is suing the NSW Government.
This story comes from the Sydney Morning Herald. Click here to read it.
The Australian: Premier's team short by $600m on light rail costs
Gladys Berejiklian’s then department was informed in mid-2014 that the cost of ripping up and moving powerlines in George Street for the Sydney light rail project was as high as $700 million — but factored in just $100m when the now NSW Premier announced months later that the project would cost $2.1 billion.
Click here to read more about this in The Australian.
Daily Telegraph: Acciona's record of legal stoushes
What a disaster. Once again, Andrew Constance hasn’t done his homework. We cannot trust this NSW Government to do a single thing right.
Click here to read the story from the Daily Telegraph about the bitter legal stoush between Acciona and Transport for NSW.
