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Media Release
9/06/2003Passengers welcome uniform signage
The Public Transport Users Association has welcomed the "Metlink" initiative launched today by Transport Minister Peter Batchelor.
PTUA Secretary Vaughan Williams said that Metlink would help rectify passenger confusion caused by the privatisation of public transport under the Kennett Government.
"When the system was privatised, the new operators went out of their way to Balkanize the system into fragmented, un-coordinated fiefdoms," said Mr Williams. "The result is a bewildering array of colour schemes, signs and brands that cause real problems for passengers - for example, the branding of Flinders Street as a Connex station implies that passengers should go elsewhere for M-Train services."
Mr Williams welcomed the Metlink plan as a useful message that there is one public transport system in Melbourne, despite there being several modes and operators.
"Metlink sends the message that our public transport system functions as one. This type of integrated signage and marketing is something the PTUA suggested several years ago. It isn't 100% as we would do it, but it will be a significant improvement on the status quo."
"The rollout of Metlink on the Alamein corridor is a worthwhile initiative and we will look forward to hearing the reaction from our membership and the travelling public."
Mr Williams called on the government and operators to continue and extend Metlink across Melbourne and to discontinue marketing the services of individual operators.
"Metlink must be the way forward for promotion of our public transport system. Operators hawking their own single mode tickets, and their own fragment of the system, is counterproductive and should cease. Those marketing budgets can be better spent on promoting the system as a whole."
Mr Williams said that it was important to preserve and improve integration of services.
"There are still plenty of examples of buses missing trains by a couple of minutes, of tram lines terminating too far from train stations, and operators wanting to move tram stops away from intersections without regard for passengers wanting to transfer to other routes."
"Metlink is a good idea, but for people to use the system it has to be integrated in fact as well as appearance," concluded Mr Williams
Contacts:
PTUA Office 9650 7898
© 2007 Public Transport Users Association Inc. (PTUA), Victoria, Australia. ABN 83 801 487 611.
General copying and distribution on a non-commercial basis is permitted subject to proper acknowlegement.
Authorised by Tony Morton, 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, for the PTUA
Last Modified: 10 June 2003